Teens

My son, 14, is perpetually bored. He has no interests; if you ask him what he likes he just shrugs his shoulders. He's practically monosyllabic. I've gone from feeling sympathetic to worried and sometimes I even feel cross. I just can't get through to him. He doesn't seem to have many friends and he hates sport. He just wants to stay in his bedroom all the time. What can I do to help his shake this off?

More than 130,000 students face being rejected for a university place this year. The NGTU survival pack shows teens what options are available to them post A levels.

If your son or daughter will be 16 to 18 on 1 September 2009, and it staying on in full time education, he or she may qualify for an Educational Maintentance Allowance. Now is the time to apply.

I've just got a phone bill for £400! It turns out that my 16 year-old son has met a girl on the internet who lives a few hundred miles away. As well as talking to her endlessly on on MSN, it now turns out that he's also been phoning her on her mobile. A lot. He has agreed to pay back the money but he doesn't seem to have grasped why this might be a problem. I'm concerned about the very idea of meeting someone online but he tells me it's totally normal and everyone does it. What should I do?

My 13-year-old son is truanting. He's been steadily going off school for the past year or so but I thought it was just a phase that would pass. However he seems quite open about hating it. He didn't really bother to hide the fact that he had stayed at home instead of going to school; he just said school is boring and that there's no point in going. What should I do?

At only 14, double gold medalist Eleanor Simmonds is an inspiration to us all and has voiced her support for Staying Positive (EPP CIC) - a free workshop for teenagers living with long-term conditions.

If your teen has not yet completed the UCAS form – especially the personal statement - the Christmas holiday should be used to get this finished for sending in by 15 January, writes Anne Coates, author of Applying to University The Essential Guide.

Our daughter is 13 and I'm worried she's wasting money on her mobile phone. We bought her a phone for safety but she uses it to talk to and text friends. It's on a contract where she gets a reasonable amount of free call minutes and texts but we've noticed that her bills are claiming most if not all of her pocket money. I think she could be doing something better with it than spending it on phone calls but perhaps I'm being too harsh?

Mother of two daughters, one of whom is 14, and a teacher with many years experience teaching teenage pupils with a variety of special needs, Julia Bairstow was well placed to review Your Defiant Teen 10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild your Relationship.

If your son or daughter is going off to university this month you might want to invest in a cookbook for them. Anne Coates and daughter Olivia have taken a look at two new books on offer: Student Cookbook Healthy Eating and Sorted “a recipe for student survival".

Creator Elizabeth Hallett is passionate about the way she teaches her young daughter to care for and protect her skin and this new range is the result. So who better to test out two Elizabeth's Daughter products than Anne's daughter, Olivia Coates!

The AS and A2 results are out on Thursday and parents need to be ready with their love and support whatever the outcome! If possible take a day's holiday so you can be there for any eventuality especially if your son or daughter hasn't got the grades they were hoping for, advises Anne Coates.

 

The charity Deafness Research UK has launched an innovative new road-show to remind young people of the risks they face to their hearing from prolonged listening to loud music on their MP3 players.

Louise Pollard who works in community contraception and sexual health services reviews Nicollete Heaton-Harris'  book on STIs.

 

The exams are over for this year but teenage pupils need to plan ahead for their university application in order to make informed choices - and parents may need to offer support and guidance, says Anne Coates

 

Often regarded as a "soft" drug the latest research shows cannabis use  by teenager  means a bigger risk of mental illness in later life.

Booktrust is inviting young writers aged 11 to 16 to enter a short story competition.  The four best short stories will win their authors a place on the judging panel.  

 

Help your teens make the best use of their time while revising and preparing for exams by passing on these tried and tested revision guidelines.