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Helping Your Children Navigate Their Teenage Years:
A Guide for Parents
Forword
At the beginning of the 21st century
we have much to celebrate about our
nation’s young people. Teens of all ethnicities
are completing high school and
enrolling in college at record rates, and
more teenagers than ever before are volunteering for community service. In addition,
many harmful behaviors are on the
decline, including youth violence and
gun-related crime, homicide, suicide, teen
pregnancy and, in the last few years, drug
use. Nonetheless, the rates of youth violence,
smoking, alcohol and other drug
use, and unintended pregnancy are still
far too high. And despite a marked
decline in teen homicide over the past
several years, far too many communities
are still scarred by violence.
We know that the best approach to
the problem of youth violence is a comprehensive
one, requiring the collaborative
efforts of students and parents, teachers,
health care providers, law enforcement,
judges, counselors, and religious leaders.
That is why, among other initiatives,
my Administration created the Safe
Schools/Healthy Students Initiative to
support effective, collaborative responses
to youth violence.
Most importantly, we know that young
people continue to need support and guidance
from their parents as they grow into
adulthood. In May 2000, the First Lady
and I hosted a conference on “Raising
Responsible and Resourceful Teenagers.”
At this conference we heard from parents,
researchers, professionals who work with
teenagers, and from teenagers themselves.
The message we heard, loud and clear, and
that has been confirmed by recent studies,
is that teens view their parents as the best
source of information and guidance on
serious life issues, and that teenagers rate
not having enough time with their parents
as their top concern.
That is why I directed my White
House Council on Youth Violence to
develop information resources for parents.
This guide provides parents with some
useful communication tips for talking to
their teenagers. It suggests ways to discuss
difficult issues—such as violence, guns,
tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs—and
helps parents identify the warning signs of
harmful behaviors. In some instances, parents
may need professional guidance to
assist them in dealing with the challenges
of raising a teenager, and this guide pro-vides
helpful resources.
The great American author and champion
of human rights, Pearl Buck, once
said, “If our American way of life fails the
child, it fails us all.” In our national struggle
against youth violence, we must not
fail our children. All of us, especially parents,
share responsibility to keep our children
safe. We’ve all got to do our part,
and this guide should help.
— President William Jefferson Clinton
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