Talking to Teens

Family First | VoiceAmerica™

Many parents feel anxious as their children approach the teenage years. Parents worry about peer pressure, losing their influence, being able to communicate effectively with their teens, wondering if they have prepared them well enough for life, asking themselves about whether they pushed too hard or not enough in academics, worrying about how much help they should give or will be allowed to give their teen as they approach young adulthood, fearing the worst when it comes to bad influences. My guest this week on Family First is Kyra Batte, a life coach to teens. She helps parents and their teens get through these uncertain years with the least hassle and the most self-assurance and resilience as possible. She will show how many of the fears felt by teens and by their parents can be overcome by healthy communication, attention to life balance, and care with self-talk. Kyra’s insights can make family life a whole lot better. Listen in and invite your teen to join us.

To hear the program, simply click on tthe link above or his link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first, Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Kyra Batte is a teen life coach in Los Angeles County. She has been a public speaker and educator for statewide and national programs toward improving the quality of life and mental health for children, teenagers, and young adults. Amongst her public speaking experiences, she recently hosted a show that garnered four million viewers worldwide, promoting self-confidence, removing critical thoughts, dealing with uncertainty and fear of failure, gaining resilience, and finding balance in life. Kyra has been able to speak to hundreds of parents and children and to educate more than one hundred school counselors, teachers, and superintendents. She has also been a published author of articles guiding parents with troubled youth in newspapers and other publications, and she has developed an outreach program for teens dedicated to getting their life on track. A graduate of the University of Arizona, she also has a background in film, theater, and dance, and was chosen Miss LA County for 2012.

To hear the program, simply click on the link above or on this link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1916/family-first, Friday at 1 pm PT, 2 pm MT, 3 pm CT, 4 pm ET, or any time afterwards online, or on podcast or apps.

Randy Rolfe Take Home Tips: Good relations with your teens depends on the trust you can build as they approach those years. but it is never too late to build trust. It takes patience and faith and good communication tools, including powerful listening!

Why homeschool?

Family First VoiceAmerica™

Our news is filled with the challenges in today’s schools, including peer pressure, precocious sex and drinking, drugs, drop-outs, learning differences, burned out teachers, bullying, poor test scores, too much about fashion and cliques, budget cutbacks, violence, smart phone distractions, and more. Many parents are looking for alternatives. For some, charter schools or online schools seem the answer. Others push for school reforms at the district, state and federal levels. More and more families are considering homeschooling. My guest this week is Peter Bergson, one of the pioneers in the homeschooling movement. He founded Open Connections with his wife Susan Shilcock in 1978 and has been a leader in the theory and practice of what he calls “open education.” He will share his own path to homeschooling as well as the many reasons parents are considering home schooling and the many options parents have in structuring a truly nurturing environment for their kids of any age.



Just go to this website at 4 PM ET, 1 PM PT, 3 PM, or 2 PM MT or any time afterwards on archive - on your smart phone app, PC, as MP3. click on: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/58848/why-homeschool. If you go to this page you can also Bookmark the page very easily to any social media by using the function at the bottom of the page. Also you can link the page to any email or site.

Peter Bergson is the father of 4 and grandfather of 5 homeschoolers/ unschoolers. In 1978, he and his wife, Susan Shilcock, who passed away in 2005, opened Open Connections, a preschool/kindergarten program. Soon
they became friends with John Holt and “OC” morphed into a resource center for self-directed learners ages 4 to 18. OC currently flourishes on a 28-acre campus in suburban Philadelphia, serving a 100 homeschooling/ unschooling families with programs to help young people to pursue their interests in a community that nurtures collaboration and creativity. Peter and Susan co-authored Open Connections: The OTHER Basics,
and he created an instruction manual titled Spaces for Children: Learning Environments for Work and Play.. Having retired as OC’s Executive Director, Peter serves on the Board, writes articles for The OC Magazine, works on a future book titled Parenting for Pleasure, promotes the “open education” concept, and loves his two full days weekly spent with his grand-ones.

To hear Peter Bergson's wisdom after almost 30 years helping families to home educate their children, go to: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/58848/why-homeschool. Listen live this Friday or any time afterwards at this site.

Randy Rolfe's Take home Tip: No matter what a child's school experience, the parents are the first and most influential teachers. So be careful what you teach! Humans learn primarily by doing and usually by doing which they see others do. So the example you set in everything you do will have a huge influence on your child. Read in front of them and with them, talk about important issues and interesting events with them, be physically active with them and live a healthy lifestyle. These will set your child up for a successful and happy life.