My tip this week is to
Expose Your Teen to New Experiences >>Listen

A high school teacher shared a memorable story with me about a student named David who was a senior in her English class. David was failing, and he didn’t seem to care. He was obnoxious in class, awkward and immature. If he failed her class, he would fail to graduate, but seeing as he had no plans for college or even work after high school, he didn’t seem to care about that either.

Then the class began to study Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Shakespeare is often intimidating to students, and many in the class had difficulty understanding the language and getting into the story. David, on the other hand, experienced an awakening through Shakespeare’s language. It didn’t take him long to realize that he was one of the only students in class who could easily read and understand the play, both on its basic levels and in terms of its complex use of language. David began to realize he was smart. In fact, he was very smart. He began to contribute to class discussion and realized he could help other students to understand Shakespeare’s word play. He gained confidence…and this was the beginning of a remarkable transformation. He went on to earn an “A” in class, and even applied to and was accepted to college. After making the Deans list during his first two years, he transferred to a prestigious business college.

Just think of the experiences that are outside of your teenager’s comfort zone that could open up an entirely new land of opportunity, interest or joy. Your teen doesn’t know what she is missing, if she hasn’t been exposed to it. Herein lies an important opportunity for parents: go out of your way to expose your teen to new experiences. Your young rapper may find going to the symphony inspirational. Your obsessive soccer player may scorn the opportunity to go to your local fine arts museum, but if he hasn’t been there, do some creative bargaining if you have to to get him to agree to give it a try.

Teens don’t know what they don’t know; and it’s up to parents to help expose them to new things that will broaden their horizons. The most unpredictable experience may just help her find her life’s passion.

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Teens…….

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Til next time…I'm Sue Blaney.