by Jeff | Mar 8, 2015
Spring is in the air! For many teens around America, that also means prom season. This week, Jeff, DW, Jason, Mike and Jordan talk about ways to avoid making prom your ultimate trust bust this year. Be part of the Tweetback!
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What do we want to accomplish?
This is a fair question to ask when there is controversy around a particular topic. Here’s what needs to be said:
- Encourage conversation between parents and teens about important stuff. Address the “we’re not gonna talk about it” crowd. Parents differ on whether their teen should attend school dances in public school. Parents reserve the right to allow or disallow their child to participate. Many parents don’t care, though, and that’s why we’re bringing it up.
- We’re glad that teachers & parents invest time and money in fun, safe activities for teens. Hope that by talking about prom before prom helps make it a fun, more safe experience for everyone.
- You may believe that good teens should never go to prom. Valid. We believe that conversations save lives and it’s important to talk to the “I’m-Going-to-Prom Crowd” this week.
Fair enough? On with the conversation!
According to USNews.com (click for source)
The Facts.
Prom is not a cheap occasion, averaging between $835 and $1,125. Check these numbers out from Liberty Mutual/Students Against Destructive Decisions and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- 90% teens believe their peers are more likely to drink and drive on prom night.
- Only 29% believe driving on prom night comes with a high degree of danger.
- 36% of teens say their parents have allowed them to attend parties where they knew alcohol would be available.
- 14% of teens say their parents have hosted teen gatherings with alcohol.
- 54% of students drank more than 4 drinks on prom night.
[Tweet “Don’t mistake prom night for your wedding night. #sexisnotlove #HNRTB”]
Jeff’s Prom Facts
- Trends are overrated. You’ll laugh at those pictures in 15 years.
- Spending $1000 on prom is your worst financial decision of 2015. #wheredidmymoneygo
- If you think a dress, hairstyle, new nails and makeup makes you beautiful, you have no idea what beauty is. #redefined
- A date for prom does not make it the best prom. #dontdatealoser
- Even the prom queen struggles with feeling beautiful.
- Prom Court honors mean basically nothing after graduation.
- Don’t mistake prom night for your wedding night. #sexisnotlove
- Early curfew is better for your health.
- Failure to plan is planning to fail.
- Getting your friends and you home safe is your #1 goal.
Bonus: Don’t be afraid to be different. Successful people usually flow against the grain in how they do things, anyway.
What are you most looking forward
What didn’t we cover this week?
3 Tips for Parents to Discuss Prom Safety with Teens – US News
Drunk Driving After Prom: Perception vs. Reality – US News
Teenager takes his great-grandmother to prom – Fox News
by Jeff | Jul 27, 2014
On this week’s edition of HopeNet Radio, Kristen returns to talk about things she wishes her parents knew before making a destructive decision that nearly cost her life. Her book, Life In Spite of Me, can be found here.
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I Wish My Parents Knew… by Kristen Jane Anderson
1. I also wish they had known more about depression, how common it can be, as well as the triggers, the signs, and how easy it is to fall into a depression.
2. That what I needed more than anything was a growing, thriving, relationship with the God who made me.
3. That the youth group they’d brought me to was only a place to have fun and I needed so much more.
4. That I had been raped.
5. That I could hardly understand what I was feeling, or how to put it into words and that asking me questions might have been helpful.
6. That even though they’d taken me to a Christian Counselor she never gave me any spiritual direction or encouragement.
7. That I didn’t really like drinking, sneaking out, smoking and doing all the things I wasn’t supposed to be doing.
8. That one of the reasons I didn’t talk to them more was because I was afraid of punishments, especially with my friends because they’re what were keeping me holding on.
9. That I wanted to make them proud, not worry them.
10. That I was trying to protect them too.
11. That being in school basically complicated my issues. I think it would have helped me if I would have been taken out and put in an intense counseling program.
12. That our family needed to be centered on Christ.
13. That the church we were in was dead and that God wanted so much more for all of us.
14. I also wish they had known the power of God, the Bible, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
15. That I needed someone who knew God pouring into me.
by Jeff | Jul 26, 2014
Life Lesson #1: Take your time.
Right off the bat, the announcers declared Kacy’s intention to take her time with each challenge and it paid off.
Sometimes when you rush, you get sloppy. Things get forgotten and tasks aren’t completed to perfection. Maybe you even overlook important details. Pace yourself in the workplace, in life and in relationships. Investing time in the present is worth it for the future.
Life Lesson #2: Choose a partner who supports you.
Kacy’s boyfriend seems like the perfect life partner. His looks of pride, admiration and love were displayed the entire time she competed and were enough to melt the iciest of hearts.
We all deserve a partner to support us unconditionally; one who won’t feel threatened by our strength or our confidence or our success; one who will scale a tower to congratulate us on our accomplishments.
Don’t settle for someone who will hold you back; instead, look for the person who will help you grow emotionally, intellectually and physically. One of the joys of love is the ability to hold each other up and make one another better citizens of the world.
Don’t dampen your light for someone who won’t push you to shine your brightest.
Life Lesson #3: Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith.
As shown by the Pole Grasper challenge, sometimes the gaps in your life seem too big. Like, no matter how much you want something, you might fail, slip through the cracks and hit rock bottom.
Don’t let that stop you. As the saying goes, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Remove yourself from your comfort zone and do something exciting or new or a little bit scary. Nine times out of 10, you’ll amaze yourself.
Life Lesson #4: Set a goal for yourself, say it out loud and then reach it.
Before the competition, Mighty Kacy told the announcers that she was going to finish the course, and while they thought her determination was cute, they didn’t believe her. However, Catanzaro was hellbent on reaching her goal and mind over matter is real.
Setting goals for yourself is important, but saying them out loud is the key. Telling others what you want from life automatically ups the ante and holds you accountable for your actions.
Don’t be afraid to vocalize your dreams because it might just be the extra motivation you need to work harder for that promotion, half marathon, new apartment, or whatever it is you desire.
Life Lesson #5: When you think you’re out of steam, push harder.
One of the hardest things for some of us to realize is that we are capable of more than we believe. We might only be pseudo-adults, but life can be hard. It can get us down, strip us of our confidence and make us feel alone.
Just look at Kacy in the final challenge, right before the buzzer. She was tired and spent. But, just as the announcers were describing how impossible the 4-foot-wide obstacle would be for her, she frog-jumped her way to the buzzer, in record time.
So, you might feel like you’re all out of energy. You might feel like quitting, but don’t. Just when you think you can’t take anymore, the universe will intervene and your body and mind will get you to the end of any obstacle, in amazing ways.
Life Lesson #6: When you deserve it, the world will cheer you on.
There’s no denying that life’s a rat race. Hell, half of our friends would sell us out for a promotion or a raise. However, when you accomplish something truly amazing, the world can’t help but notice, and your competitors will only be able to cheer you on.
Original article from EliteDaily.com
