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Articles by Mark Gregston

Browse published articles attributed to Mark Gregston, with full-archive search.

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By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Teens Learn From Consequences, Not Lecturing

Teenagers don’t learn much from parental warnings nd lecturing. Most of us have tried that without much success. And unfortunately, one or both parents all too often cave in when when Johnny or Julie gets in trouble. Each time we do so, a valuable lesson isn’t learned and a mistake is apt to be repeated. The point is, teens learn best by making mistakes and suffering a bit from the consequences.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

11,766 views5/5 (2)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Teenagers and Family Chaos

When a teenager doesn’t know what is expected in your home, he does what seems right in his own eyes - and that’s a formula for family chaos. A good way to avoid chaos in the teenage years is to first start by establishing a Belief System, which is a clear and undeniable plan for what is expected in your home. A Belief System is the basis for training and reinforcement for dearly held beliefs, but also includes the consequences to expect if the rules are broken or boundaries crossed.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

5,220 views5/5 (1)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Ten Ways to Turn Around Your Teen

Thinking that anything a parent can say, do, or offer to their children as they grow up a will guarantee a smooth and trouble-free adolescence is just plain wrong. I’ve learned that there are no such guarantees in life. Stuff happens in the teen years that is out of our control as parents, even if we do everything right. Raising one angelic teenager can lead us to think that we have found the right formula, right up until we see our next child go down a completely different path.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

5,528 views3/5 (3)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Meaningful Consequences for Teens

Do your teen’s actions cause you more problems than they do your teen? Has your teen figured out that he can say or do whatever he wants, which causes you and others a lot of grief, while you spend all your time trying to figure out how to solve the riddle of why he behaves the way he does, without a care in the world to the problems his behavior creates? Whenever I see a teen who is irresponsible and happy to be so, he probably has parents who are probably very responsible and also quite miserable.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

3,855 views3/5 (2)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Don't Ever Quit on Your Teenager

I have seen many parents wonder what in the world happened to their family. They seemingly woke up one morning to a teen who completely changed ove ight. Their loving, kind and thoughtful kid is now a person they no longer recognize. It is easy for them to feel they are not prepared for all of this – but who is? No matter how good a parent you are, there are forces at work in our culture trying to send your kid spinning off in a direction that you could never imagine. The teen culture is bent on undermining the values you have tried so hard to instill into their lives.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,331 views3.4/5 (8)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

The Right Way to Confront Your Teen’s Mistakes

How to avoid toxic words and wrong motivations when confronting your teenager’s mistakes. “The difference between the exact right words and the almost right words is like the difference between lightning bugs and lightning bolts.” – Mark Twain I haven’t met a teen yet who doesn’t want to know they will continue to be loved when they’ve made mistakes. Loving someone seems easy when everything is going well. It’s a quite different matter when your teen breaks your rules, and their life spins out of control.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

2,541 views3/5 (3)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Countering the Rising Tide of Teen Dishonesty

Studies show that teenagers today are lying more. They are cheating and stealing more, too. The latest Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth, by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, shows teens are lying more often and more easily than ever. The report indicates an increase in lying, cheating and stealing among youth since 2006, when the report was first published. Forty-two percent of those surveyed said they lied recently for financial gain. Sixty-four percent said they cheated on a test during the past year, and 38% had cheated more than once.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

2,202 views2.8/5 (4)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Trouble With Adopted Kids in the Teen Years

When an adopted child enters the adolescent years and their thinking transfers from concrete to abstract, they might begin asking that unanswerable question, “Why did my mother give me up?” At a time that most kids are trying to “find themselves” and form a concept and understanding of who they are and who they are not, the adoption card in their deck of options is one that is a mystery and a source of confusion for most (confusion is not a problem, but how they display that confusion might present a problem). The hard part of all of this is that this transition of thinking happens

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,844 views3/5 (3)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Help When Your Teenager is Out of Control

For parents, there is no worse feeling than watching your child spin out of control while nothing you do seems to make any difference. If your teenager’s behavior is giving you feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and fear, I would like to offer you some suggestions. First, stop what you are doing and start a new way of thinking in regard to how you are handling the situation. Albert Einstein defined insanity as ”Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If your home is feeling a little “insane” these days, perhaps you need to change how it operates.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,990 views3/5 (2)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Don't Make This Teen Parnting Mistake

Well-intentioned parents, doing as they have always done to protect their children when they were young, often circle the wagons and marshal control when their teenager makes a mistake in judgment. Others keep their wagons circled all the time, never giving up any control in the first place. Such parents then wonder why their teenager rebels against them or lacks maturity. It's natural for parents to believe that trouble can be avoided by keeping their teenager always in sight, by fixing their every problem, and by generally keeping them under control.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

2,033 views3/5 (1)

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Teen/Parent Relationships

What your child wants more than anything else is a relationship. Here are ways to build that relationship. Don't let Conflict Get in the Way The kids we are closest later is life are usually the ones that we have fought with the most as kids. The ones that love us the most and we love them the most are the ones that have turned our hair grey. Conflict does that. Those relationships that stick together through conflict are closer relationships in the end. Conflict has the opportunity of pulling your family together more than you would be pulled together in any other way.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

5,855 views

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Troubled Teen Warning Signs

Based on my 30 years of experience of working with troubled teenagers, I've compiled this list of warning signs that a parent should for indicating that the teen needs professional help. 1. Your teen refuses to abide by anything you say or request, and his or her resulting behaviors put your child or your family in danger or high risk leading to constant fear or stress in the home. 2.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

2,943 views

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Handling Conflict with Your Teenager

When having conflict and struggle with your teen, it’s easy to feel as if the entire family is falling apart. I’ve found that a better view of handling conflict is to see it as an opportunity to pull your family together, like never before! Conflict Can Be the Precursor to Positive Change I believe that relationships that stick together through conflict and hardship become closer relationships.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

2,103 views

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Underlying Cause Of Teen Troubles

Whether or not you think it can happen in your home, your teenager is most likely experimenting with drugs or alcohol. I say that because you probably wouldn’t be reading this "teen troubles" article unless you were already having some pretty big problems with your teen. It’s always surprising to me that parents don't have a clue that their teen is using drugs.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,898 views

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

No Parent Is Perfect

Wanna Know What You Can Do to Guarantee that Your Children Won't Fall Prey to Drugs, Sex and Peer Pressure in the Teen Years? I often talk to people who believe that teaaching good values, taking their kids to church every time the doors are open, putting them in a religious school and promoting family togethe ess will guarantee that all will be well in the teenage years. Like buying an insurance plan, they think that doing the right things will bring about the right result. Sticking with the insurance policy analogy, why do we buy insurance?

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,729 views

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Mall Shootings: When Hurt People Hurt People

Most young people who go on a rampage of shooting others in malls or schools, do so because of a combination of two things...hopelessness for their current situation, and a sense of abandonment by others. It's an attempt to "pay back" mankind for their misery, forcing others to feel a similar hurt that they have been carrying for years. I always wince a little right before a newscaster shares the name of the shooter who took out his aggression, anger, or disappointment with life through the senseless killing of many at a mall, school or a church.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,638 views

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Are You A Ruler Or Rulemaker In Your Home

Some parents mix the idea of rulemaking with ruling their home. Reasonable rulemaking and proper boundaries will help a teenager mature into a confident adult, while living under a "ruler" can lead to frustration, rebellion and eroded self-esteem. Which kind of home is yours? One that has rules or one that is ruled? Rules for your home should fall into three main areas of concern, which are foundational to all other character and maturity issues. They are honesty, obedience, and respect.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,496 views

By Mark GregstonRecently published1 topic

Parenting is a Moving Target in the Teen Years

Trying to understand how to help your teen in a world that is constantly changing is like trying to hit a target that constantly moves. Just when your aim is right on target -- your kids change. Knowing how to set the right standards and enforce the right discipline can be overwhelming, and may seem impossible. The key to success in this arena lies in learning to adapt your parenting style to be more fluid, more accessible. As your child develops into a teen, you no longer have the luxury of making demands and expecting everything to remain the same.

Primary topic: Teenagers and Parenting

Teenagers and Parenting

1,262 views

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