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Looking for the perfect New Year’s resolution? How about resolving to help build a better future for America. There’s probably no better, more altruistic resolution any American could make on this, our New Year’s day at war. And the great thing about it is, it’s a resolution that can be kept. I’m sure more people right now are considering resolving to lose weight. But rather than focusing on yourself, focus your attention on others. And the fact of the matter is you’re more likely to change America’s future than reduce your waistline. Don’t fret – decide this New Year to help one or more of America’s teenagers build a successful future, and the benefits may be even more rewarding than a new diet. For years adults had been fooled into believing that, once children become teenagers, there’s relatively little we can do to influence them and their futures. Indeed, many social workers and youth educators created entire programs for young people designed to make up for the supposed shortcomings of parents. They were value neutral and set no expectations – the thinking being that adolescents were put off by the moral intonations and expectations set by their parents. These well-meaning youth advocates used to believe that hormone driven, rebellious teens are incapable of making decisions about right and wrong. They are now changing their tune, and health indicators of teens are reflecting the new positive approach. Thankfully for our country and our young people, we have since learned that things like family, church, school, community, and the flag, really do mean something to adolescents. And we learned that teens are quite capable of weighing the consequences that today’s decisions will have upon their future success. An entire body of research has developed exploring positive youth development, most notably the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health, a longitudinal survey of over 90,000 teens. What it reveals is that there are many things we adults can do to help teens succeed. Here, grounded in research, are simple steps you can take to deliver on your resolution to brighten America’s future. First, demand something from the teens in your life. Expect that they succeed. Expect that they make healthy decisions, that they avoid unhealthy risk behaviors such as alcohol, drug and tobacco use, sex, and violence. Expectations don’t burden teens – they tell them that you love and respect them enough to expect great things…that you want them to have the best possible future. Second, foster a sense of family connection. Research shows that teens who feel connected to their family are less likely to participate in risk behaviors. A great way to do that is by eating at least five sit-down meals together a week. Meals are a great time to talk about fun stuff and more serious things as well, like manners, respect, and patriotism. Third, school connectedness, a strong focus on academics, and extracurricular activities have all been shown to be protective factors for teens. Take an active interest in your adolescent child’s education. Don’t just look at report cards. Every day, ask your teenage student about homework assignments, projects, tests and quizzes. Encourage excellence, and praise it when it comes! And get involved in school activities. The next time you’re asked to help at the concession stand during a school activity, say, “Yes!” Lastly, teens who have a spiritual life are also more likely to stay out of trouble. So take a teen to church, synagogue, mosque or temple. Besides valuable lessons that are taught by religious leaders, young people gain by the commitment that’s asked of them, which often spills over into family, school, community, and country. Yes, resolve this New Year to better America. Doing so is as simple as a family mealtime, reading a book or the newspaper together, or going to religious services. Of course, you’ll have to do these things for the entire year – this resolution can’t be as fickle, or as quickly forgotten, as last year’s resolution to ride that stationary bike every morning.
Shepherd Smith is founder and president of the Institute for Youth Development, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes a consistent, comprehensive risk-avoidance message to youth for the leading harmful risk-behaviors: alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco and violence. For more information, write to IYD at P.O. Box 16560, Washington, D.C., 20041 or visit www.youthdevelopment.org.
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