Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with teen

WWED: What would Edward do?

Knowyournuts — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:05:30 -0800

Help me brainstorm ideas for presenting an unusual necklace. I bought a necklace for my awesome niece, and I would describe it as goth or steampunk. These are not descriptions I would apply to my niece herself, as she is 13 and just transitioned from Harry Potter to Twilight. But I think she'll really love it, especially if I wrap the necklace in a fitting, unique way. She is at the age where she wants to separate herself (figuratively) from her younger siblings who like ponies and flowers.

Presenting it in a white paper jewelry box won't do it justice. I was thinking black satin, but the necklace is on a dark coppery chain, so but that might not provide enough color contrast. Or should I go the opposite direction, toward what Sarah Vowell termed "the pink of goth"? Thanks!

How can I prove to my parents that I'm "mature" enough?

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:29:32 -0800

I'm 16 years old. I have (though somewhat borderline) Asperger's and I'm highly intellectually (verbal, not quite visual-spatial) gifted. I don't do well in school, you could say I'm an "underachiever". I graduate high school this year. I will most likely not get into either of my top universities in the city (I'm Canadian, btw). I don't mind taking next year (from graduation until I'm 17.5) to "mature a bit" but eventually I want to go to school overseas. I need to prove to my parents I can live alone... without actually living alone. My parents both of the opinion that I lack the functional and social maturity needed to live alone. I don't disagree, necessarily. I have very few friends, though my ability to make new ones has improved drastically in recent months, and I lack basic time-management skills.

I've never had a job (my parents have told me to focus on school) and I do very little "independently", though just about what I see most people my age doing (my parents cook, clean, do my laundry). I get rides to and from school on my mom's way to and from work, though I often take public transport around the city (I live in a major Canadian city).

My parents recently met with my psychologist (without me) to discuss the issue. The psych suggested that I take the year to mature, but that's really all I was told. My parents added that they're mostly concerned with the facts that: I don't know how to manage money (these days whenever I get a little spending money aside from allowance (basically just for food a couple times a week, I use the spending money), and that I don't wake up for school on my own (I get woken up anyway, but lately I've been sleep deprived and have had trouble getting up). Also I should mention that I'm not a neat/organized person and that can only make things look even worse.

My mom also constantly mentions "getting around on my own", but I think it's something I'm rather good at. In past summers I've gone day upon day just taking public transport around and exploring big cities (NYC, for example) on my own. I'm actually not quite sure my mom even realizes it. Just last week she didn't want me taking the bus at night (around 9ish) to go meet with a friend. I'm not quite sure what she was thinking, and I felt rather insulted. My dad grew up here (my mom didn't, she grew up in NYC in the 80s) and he saw no problem with it whatsoever. It's like she refuses to acknowledge I'm not 10 anymore.

Another area which my mom has expressed concern regarding has been the use of alcohol and drugs on university campuses. I should mention that I attend high school parties regularly and I know how to handle it.

In any case, I suppose I'm primarily asking what my best approach would be. If you were my mom or dad, how would you prefer I approach "maturing"? How can I better understand my parents' point of view?

(I'm asking this anonymously because my personal account can be found fairly easily by pretty much anyone who knows me. I like to keep these things private.)

Thanks in advance.

Birthday gift ideas for 13 year old daughter

midwestguy — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:30:07 -0800

My oldest daughter is turning 13--I need birthday gift ideas! My 13 year old daughter has given me no ideas whatsoever for a birthday present, and I"m struggling with what to get.She is very bright, into sports, and already has a nice cellphone and mp3 player. If I give money, she just saves it. I'd love to surprise her with something cool that says I think she is responsible, fun, and unique. She hasn't come up with a single idea to give me. She isn't really into clothes or girly stuff. Everyone is going to give her gift cards to the bookstore. i want to do better. My price limit is around $100. I'd be very grateful for any ideas!

The End of High School

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:52:16 -0800

High school is ending, I'm lost. What's a boy supposed to do? To the Mighty Mefites:

I will be graduating from high school in less than a month. I've been accepted at a decent university but I've just learned that they use Java as their introductory language. I don't mean to come off as stubborn but I DO NOT want to be paying to learn Java when there are plenty of other languages that can teach the concepts a lot more concisely. I love computers and I just don't want to murder my passion with repetitive and pedantic details. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about but I'm seriously thinking of reconsidering my major. I think learning a topic that is completely different than computers would be immensely interesting but I do not know which major would spark my interest.. I've even contemplated taking a year off but I don't know if I would be willing to pick up schooling again when it came back around. I also think I have mild depression and some anxiety so as the year dwindles down, and every class is in its last throes of homework and projects, it just seems like this is an extra heavy burden that I wish to set aside and come back to when I can focus on it solely but I can't. It hovers over me like a storm cloud and does not comfort the constant nagging by parents to "succeed in life." I don't know if I can fit in with society and the established "American Dream."

Sorry Metafilter, that all sounds pretty silly but I just need some guidance
Thanks

My throwaway email is ohlol123@gmail.com

How do I help a runaway?

symbollocks — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:25:52 -0800

A 17 year old I know is on the verge of running away from home. How can I help him without getting in legal trouble? He lives in Muncie, IN. I live in Indianapolis, IN. He is having a hard time at home getting along with his legal guardian (his grandmother), but there is no physical abuse. His legal guardian insults him by calling him names. She yells at him a lot. He is confined to the house and not allowed go anywhere except school. He is not allowed to use the phone. Every 3 weeks he visits his biological mother in Indianapolis for the weekend, which is the only way I've been in contact with him for the past few months. He's had a history of depression and suicide.

The situation is very quickly approaching a boiling point... he says he will run away at the end of the school year if things keep going as they have been.

His grandma will do everything in her power to make him come back home when he leaves, including pressing charges. Of this I am sure. She is very litigious and will not listen to anyone about how she is treating him.

What are the legal ramifications of harboring a runaway in Indiana? What else can I do to help him? What can he do to help himself? Is he stuck in this situation until he turns 18?

Awesome Lasting Gifts for an 18 year-old guy?

SweetTeaAndABiscuit — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:09:49 -0800

I have two "significant events" upcoming for my son; he will turn 18 in mid-March and graduate from high school in May. Looking for great gift ideas that will stand the test of time. I'd love to find the perfect gift(s) that he would think awesome now, but would also last a long time (if not forever) and become sentimental possessions for him in the future.

He dresses in jeans and t-shirts, loves to read (but doesn't love school), is an avid XBox player. He doesn't have, nor has never worn a watch, but he does have 2 rings (a high school class ring and a ring that belonged to his grandfather), so another ring probably wouldn't fill the bill.

As a single mom with prom, graduation, birthdays, etc, coming up, my budget is limited; probably no more than $100-150 for each gift (less spendy, but still awesome would be fantastic!) Any great ideas of gifts you've given or received? Know anything so crazy cool any guy would love to have it? Thanks, MeFi!

Help me pick a hairstyle!

nokry56 — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:35:35 -0800

How should I style my hair? 18 year old male with a huge forehead and thick hair... So I'm tired of my current hairstyle that I've had for the past 4 years. Problem is my face isn't all that pretty and I need a haircut that doesn't look bad with my gigantic head or forehead. I'm willing to do anything but a crew cut.

Requirements:
-hip, yet professional (internship this summer with Chevron)
-no styling other than some product and combing

Here are some pictures of me currently: link -- normally I get it cut about 3/4" shorter than that and thin it out. I need a haircut, hence this question.
The first pic (03.jpg) is a style I'm considering. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Help find a short story I remember

parmanparman — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:34:37 -0800

HELP! middle school/high school short story bookfilter *for Christmas! When I was 14 or 15, I went sleep-away camp at Mosquito Lake in the Trinity Alps of California (I bet you went there, too,) and I read this short fictional story in a journal I found there (title was probably not "Witness", and it definitely was not "Sisters". It was certainly Marxist-feminist but not at all a feminist-lesbian fiction journal).

I would love to find it again to give to a graduate student colleague as a Christmas present.

The story was about a battalion of women dispatched to Vietnam whose weapon was a machine in their vaginal canal that, during intercourse, would perform a crude penectomy.
The story was interesting in that the lead character was a general's daughter, and this general had approved of the mission. Ultimately, the battalion saw that the men they were "modifying" were not VC but ordinary peasants and turned against the male soldiers who had put them in the middle of a rain forest, they were wiped out in an ensuing firefight but their dignity was restored.

It would have been around 1993-1994. I remember the journal was chapbook sized, had a deep-red/burgundy cover and the cover had on it a vintage black and white picture of a young Chinese woman with bare bound feet. There was also a fictional story inside about that.

Thanks for any help!

Connecting with 13 year old son

seekingsimplicity — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:38:14 -0800

I really feel my 13 year old son pulling away from me. He text msgs a ton with his friends and just the time we spend together now is minimal. I know this is totally normal adolescent development but it still hurts me inside. Can you suggest things we might do together now to connect? Watching a movie with me is even hard to get him to do. He is a normal well adjusted kid---no problems in school. We usually eat dinner together as a family and I am here when he gets home from school and usually fix his breakfast and see him in the morning for 15 mins til he is out the door. He is my youngest child and it feels sad to not have things we do in common anymore. I used to walk him to school in 6th grade under the guise of giving our dog her daily walk but this year that ended. Help!

What kind of car did you buy for your new teen driver?

sandra194 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:16:12 -0800

Daughter is 16 and got her license a few months ago--she had her permit for a year before that and drove often with us (parents). So now we are looking at used cars for her--preferably under 10K, safe and decent city driving gas mileage. Of course she has her ideas--BMW, Jeep, Infinity, etc. Yeah right.

Cool clothing stores in Seattle/Bellingham?

knolan — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:42:22 -0800

Can anyone suggest cool clothing stores in the Seattle - Bellingham area for a cool/funky teen? Looking for something to buy teen back-to-school clothes aside from the same old chain stores (Ross-Gap-Hot Topic - etc etc etc.) We will be visiting the North Wa area and are hoping to find some cool-funky-creative places.

We currently live in Idaho with limited shopping auctions. My daughter is 16 years old. We rarely take trips together so any cool places you can suggest will be greatly appreciated!

Books I remember fondly (but not their titles)

radiosig — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:24:41 -0800

What is the name of the book I read in 5th grade (as part of the curriculum) about a boy who finds a magic traveling alleyway in his neighborhood and meets the inhabitants, including an old "bag lady" who sews sweaters from bits of trashed yarn and an adolescent girl who ... wears roller skates, maybe? To clarify, these people live in houses that are inside the alley, and the alley itself (or the entrance to it, at least) moves every so often. I've been wondering about this book for years and can't seem to find reference to it. Thanks! (Bonus questions inside) Bonus book: A mousy boy with brown hair and eyes discovers that he takes after his mother, who he's never met (whereas his brothers all look like dad, big and strong with blond hair and blue eyes), and also that she was some kind of witch, and he sets out to discover more. also I remember fondly the fetishization of eating hunks of bread and cheese with fruit for meals while traveling (anybody else notice this as a teen fantasy novel trope?)

Also there was something to do with "runes," possibly this was even part of the title.

Another bonus book: This one was about a girl who is vacationing on an island with her family and comes to realize that her next-door-neighbors for the summer, a couple of guys, are involved in this creepy sort of board game, the outcome of which has implications for their real lives. There's something to do with drawing cards that have special abilities on them (suits of armor? weapons?) After I read this book I was inspired to create a deck of "abilities" cards to be used while playing checkers, but the concept didn't translate very well.

ANOTHER bonus book: This one I read when I was super small. It was a children's picture book about an Asian (Japanese or Chinese?) prince or warrior who goes on a quest. The main thing about this one is that the art was GORGEOUS. I also remember the story being surprisingly dark (perhaps the hero dies?). I think it may have won an award (gold seal on the cover?)

I would have read all of these in the late 1980's - early 1990's.

K thanks again!

I want to read teen drama!!

ptm — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:59:29 -0800

This is for my daughter, she is absolutely in love with Louise Rennison and wants to read something that is similar and British, in preparation for her trip to England. She's American, 17 years old, and loves the show Skins.

awesome present for an awesome kid?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:54:34 -0800

What present should my mother get for her 13/14 year old nephew? Complications within. Mom is visiting Russia tomorrow for a month. She hasn't been there or seen the family since 4 years ago and she doesn't really know his interests (other than that he likes chocolate). Also, his parents give him everything he wants/needs generally.

She needs to buy this present today and I'm guessing wants to spend less than $60 (she rejected my iPod suggestion). Any ideas, metafilter?

Best Activities to do in Western USA

benji — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:54:30 -0800

What really fun, random, and cheap activities can I do with a bus full of thirty 16-year olds thoughout the western USA? Starting this Sunday, I will be staffing a teen travel trip throughout the Western united states. We take a bus from Michigan and travel all the way to Cali and back.

We are a non-profit summer camp and need some fun, cheap and random/goofy ideas to entertain the kids while we aren't camping or in the backcountry.

Anyone have any ideas or recomendations? I will take any suggestions. The more goofy the better. Thanks.

Here is our general itinerary:

Scott Country, IA
Estes Park, CO
Buena Vista, CO
Moab, Utah
Springdale, Utah
Twenty Nine Palms, CA
Santa Monica, CA
Sierra Nevada, CA
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Salt Lake City, Utah
Jackson, WY
Yellowstone Park, WY
Wall, SD
Luverne, MN
Back to Michigan

Some ideas that we had were:

Pig Wrestling at a fair
Roller Derby
Water Parks
A Mine Tour
Juggling Lessons
Baseball games
Etc.

Thanks for all your help! I appreciate it.

Netherlands Travel

maxg94 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:38:05 -0800

Recommendations of things not to miss in Amsterdam on trip this month I have about 6 days in Amsterdam and 2 days in Belgium with a 14 year old boy and 15 year old girl. What sorts of things should we not miss on our travels including touristy things, scenery, museums, food? Since the US dollar vs Euro is so bad, bonus for ideas that are not too expensive.

Stuck in bed for the summer

bahama mama — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 09:16:36 -0800

I just found out my 14 year old niece broke both her femur and tibia and will be in a cast from hip to toe for the next 6 weeks! I want to put together a care package - any suggestions? I don't know her that well, but I do know she is very into sports such as soccer and basketball. She doesn't play video games, so that's out, and I don't know what type of music or tv she likes. Help! What are some things I could give her to occupy her time while she is basically bed-ridden for the summer? Any books that are popular with the teens I should know about? (I checked with her mom but she said "anything" will be appreciated.)

Lame bike helmet drama

maloon — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:31:34 -0800

Can you help me to convince my son (almost 14) to wear his helmet while skateboarding and biking, instead of giving up these activities because I insist he comply (or walk.) None of his friends wear helmets even though our state law says they must up to the age 16. We have been through a few different styles already to accomodate his cool factor, but nothing suits him but the wind in his hair and his mother out of his face. I hate that he's abandoning riding or skating over this.

What to do for a Sixteenth Birthday?

knolan — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:06:05 -0800

I'm looking for gift ideas for my daughter's sixteenth birthday. She's not into the traditional Sweet 16 routine but still, I feel like the gift has to be more significant than a regular old B-day gift. About her: musical hippie type (has good guitar and equipment already), California girl relocated to Moscow Idaho two years ago; mellow, sweet girl. ANY ideas greatly appreciated.

Teen relationship help

LSK — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:16:29 -0800

Why are there no good books on relationships for teenagers? [I could use one.] Granted, I usually like solving this type of thing on my own, but I have an acquaintance (met during a Magic tournament) that I would be interested in getting to know better and I don't know how to ask her on a date without seeming overtly desperate or pushing too hard. I've had bad experiences in the past with trying to meet up with casual acquaintances of both genders, and I wish I knew how to ask someone so that they'll respond.

Teen girl audition song needed!

I_Love_Bananas — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:38:58 -0800

Teen MusicalTheaterFilter: Audition song for teen girl- make it a good one! My niece (age 14) will be auditioning for a “young adult” production of Sweeney Todd (maximum age 21) at a local community theatre. She has asked me to help her plan and prepare for her audition.
She remains hopeful of getting a role although I have tried to keep it real and explain that it’s VERY unlikely that any of the leads will be 14-year-olds (except perhaps Toby).

Also, I tried to explain that it’s extremely unlikely that someone brand-new to the group will be cast over someone they know who is a proven commodity. Kids struggle with this because it’s not _fair_ but it’s a fact. Even if she kicks major ass at the audition, they probably won’t cast her in a lead. I advised her to list the role she wants but to also say she’ll take any role, and go for the gusto.

So- I can’t dissuade her, despite all of the above [AND my firm belief that there is no way a bunch of teenagers-twentysomethings can do this show justice. Ahem].

So she needs an audition song. I’m not used to working with teen voices, so I’m asking for help.

She has never done any “real” theater, just little plays at church. She has a good voice, a great ear, learns quickly and can even do a damn good Cockney accent. She’s had experience singing in front of people and understands that she needs to cast her semi-geeky adolescent fears aside or the masses of experienced teens who are bound to show up at this audition will wipe the floor with her.

She was all proud of the fact that she learned “By the Sea” (off the movie soundtrack!) but I had to explain that it’s not appropriate to sing from the show unless specifically asked to; plus, she wants the Beggar Woman role. Third, her voice is totally wrong for that song.

In my opinion (and what my 25+ years of experience have shown me), the goal should be to get called back, so she can get over the first rush of terror and relax a bit in the comfort that she made it past the first round. The song needs to let her show her ability and make them want to see more of her.

The song should (ideally) be somewhat bipolar in nature (as is The Beggar Woman)- she goes back and forth in her delivery between the lyrical, almost wailing upper range (“Alms, alms…”) and the low bawdiness of the “How’d you like to push me crumpet…” sections, etc.

It doesn’t have to be Sondheim per se, but it needs to be more than just fluff and not Rent-type pseudo-pop. I will teach it to her and coach her so she doesn't have to learn it on her own. It needs to be the typical "your best 16 bars" worth, so it can't be a whole opus.

Caveat- please don't refer me to anthologies. However, I would welcome other sites/forums where people in the know could assist.

I know this is a tall order. It’s not “just another audition” since she will have so much invested in this. I REALLY want her to do well because to step into the world of theater will do wonders for her (she’s fairly introverted and appears shy but is actually very smart and would, I know, eventually shine as an actress and singer).

Thanks for the help!

Safe job for a teenage girl

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:18:17 -0800

What are safe jobs a 16-year old girl could do if she lacked proof of legal work eligibility? Imagine a teenaged girl who basically fits the definition of "at-risk". She lives in a low-income, not especially safe community, and does not have the right papers to work in this country. Because of conflicts with her legal guardians and inconsistent support from her family, it's hard for her to even figure out what kind of immigration papers she does have, let alone try to get the right ones. As an obvious consequence, this person would have no money and low morale.

What kinds of jobs could a person like this get? How to get them? No big corporation will take her without papers, right? But maybe some mom-and-pop operations? Or, for instance, she could drop into small shops or hair salons in her neighborhood to see if she could do something, or put up ads as a babysitter....
She speaks English very well, and is friendly and charming.

What are other safe, non-official, paying jobs she could do?

Thanks.

Troubled Teen, Perplexed Parent

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:39:41 -0800

My soon-to-be 14 year old is freaking me out. He has setup elaborate fictional profiles online that seem to be begging for sympathy, attention, shock, and probably many other things. These profiles are graphic and tell fictional tales of an abused childhood and severe mental illness(es) including OCD, bipolar, depression, and ADD. I need a lot of advice on how to proceed! Here's some more random history details.
- About a year ago, I found a myspace page where he profiled himself as a 21yo who lives in another state. That was minor and since he doesn't use myspace I looked past it.
- His dad is severely bipolar and therefore receives mental disability benefits. He cannot work. His dad is >30 but seems to be rather teenager-ish himself. They scheme together frequently.
- I'm a single parent and his father lives in another state.
- He respects 2 people in the near family the most and would feel ashamed if they knew.
- He has no diagnosed mental illness.
- He is highly gifted, but classic underachiever.
- He has 1 friend, had 1 girlfriend, and really is pretty shutdown to humans in general.
- He is homeschooling this year only, because I (not him) got so fedup with the public middle. He loves homeschooling, but since I work outside the home it is largely self-directed. We review nightly and study anything confusing on weekends.
- He recently told me he wanted to kill himself a couple years ago.
- He has not seen a psych, because I do not know how to go about finding an appropriate one. He needs a dr that can handle a kid who's smarter than many adults. The wrong doctor will be manipulated like putty in a small child's hands, so he needs someone that can handle his mentally and intellectually challenging behaviors. I do not believe those behaviors are anywhere close to the root of his problems, but he could definitely learn to temper them.
- Anything anti-society and he'll be all over it. His dad is the same way.
- In 4th grade, the school counselor was concerned because he wouldn't socialize with the other kids. He told me he simply hated them all and didn't want to socialize with them. They drive him crazy and stuff like that. So, the counselor formed a group of social misfits to meet in her office once a week. After the first session, the counselor pulled me into the office because she was happy with the results. She said he took over her role in the group. He led all the kids through various activities and discussion, literally taking over role of leader, teacher, and guidance counselor. She said he had the strongest empath ability she'd ever seen and that he can actually disable/enable it at-will. She was floored at how deeply he sensed emotions, actions, subtleties, and the overall emotional feel of a room. She said he chooses not to use it in everyday activities, preferring to further alienate himself from others. In the end, she decided after that first visit that he didn't fit into the group's purpose because he knew how to socialize.
- He's not violent. Not even a little bit. He's never committed a crime. He's big on safety.
- He wants to be a writer. He writes intense stuff now that people either love or hate, depending on whether they're easily offended.
- His dad has caught him stealing his writings and passing them off as his own.

He doesn't know that I've read and watched him online. I've joined chat rooms and watched him "socialize" with others. He certainly likes to stir up fights. The problem is, in the end, half the people thank him for bringing the issue forward. That's certainly encouraging him. He's banned from multiple forums and websites. He brags about it. He brags about ruining some websites that people paid to use. He's fitting the classic troll personality I suppose, in that their anger and their appreciation equally feed his demons.

His latest profile has graduated from college, switches races, and immigrated to the US (he's American, but not proud of it) after a childhood full of beatings, death, and illness. Apparently he's rich with lots of money to give away.

In real life, he's hinted to various things going down. He said it was easy to make people believe he's an adult on-line. I figured it was something harmless like the myspace profile. But, in the past few days, activity has stepped up and he's been wanting to check in with his father more often. He's just having a good ol' ball of fun. So yesterday, I started reviewing browser history, IM logs, and email. Tonight I started quietly stalking him online.

He believes he is doing the right thing. He pits users against the forum or site owners for the greater good. In his latest mission, half the forum wants him banned and the other half admire him. They all think he's an adult. One user contacted him through AIM. They've discussed their pot, sex, drinking, and mental troubles (all of which is fictional, btw). He told how his fiance was killed, his parents beat him up, and he's addicted to pot. Then 2 days later, he admits to the stranger (who he now calls a friend) that he's a young teen and nothing like his profile. And, worst of all, he told the guy his Real Name. And, the guy in response calls him a genius and compares him to V (for Vendetta). Ugh.

So, now what? Is this part of some normal teen rite of passage that somehow eluded me? Am I raising some kind of sociopath? Am I overthinking all of this? I need lots of advice, both on the possible source for all this crap internally and externally as well as next steps. Right now, I'm pretty angry and just want to remove his computer and phoneline to his dad. He must have the computer for schooling, though. I want to humiliate him on the sites involved, to take all the wind out of his deceitful little sails. But, I worry these type of reactions will just alienate him further from me, up his secrecy, and not help the real problems.

I cannot easily block his site visits yet, but a new router with improved functionality will arrive on Monday. I know that I will be scheduling all online freetime, at the very least. That will be immediate. His computer is in my line of sight, so when I'm home I know what he's doing. I do believe his dad is a horrible influence right now, further inflaming some bizarre impulse to do these things. But, I can't justifiably cut that line of communication and I can't prove he's contributing. I know the behaviors I see on my end of the phone and I know how his dad can be in general, so I know it's a factor. Just not sure how much.

Sorry for the length. I've tried to give as much information to help as possible. But, just in case, I have setup email at teenhell@gmail.com.

Student Work/Travel

GregWithLime — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 19:28:25 -0800

Help my daughter find a program allowing her to work/travel in Europe. In about a year, my daughter is going to have about 6 months between high school and college and would like to spend most of it in Europe. She does not want to spend the whole time backpacking across Europe. Instead, she’s looking for some kind of situation where she has a job in some sort of international teen or cultural exchange program that also maybe provides her with a place to live with a host family or living with other teens in the same program.

She speaks some German but has expressed a desire to have the location where she works/lives be in an English speaking country. I personally think she would be OK in Germany after a few weeks. She just needs to be forced to speak German to get herself over the language barrier hump.

Anyway, do you know of any such programs? Have you had any similar experiences that she should look to emulate or avoid? Anything to share with this concerned father who wants to set his daughter free but always worries about her well being?

BTW, if you followed or contributed to my last post about my daughter, dealing with her leaving her car lights on, you will be happy to know that the scrunchie idea has worked great! No repeat problems since then.

Thanks for all your help!

Hip-hop stuff to do in NYC

seeminglee — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:12:22 -0800

The 17-year-old son of a friend from Austria is into hip-hop. He'll be visiting NYC on 7-10 December and wants to know how to find out about concerts, venues, etc. Can anybody tell me the relevant websites to send him to?