Self-Control. Can Teens Learn It?

Teens are famous for being impulsive and difficult to live with. Blame it on their raging hormones, right?

 Not totally. Their brains play a role in the behavior we label as “typical teen.”

Teens  often use the limbic system of their brain, the area responsible for in the moment survival, rather than the prefrontal cortex, the “CEO” of the brain to make decisions. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t mature until the late twenties, so it’s not a conscious choice to use a less than stellar steering wheel for their lives.

One of the new buzz words from the neuroscience world is: executive functioning. It refers to the ability to order your thoughts, put things in your short term memory for future use, and to stay on task mentally, not something teens are able to do very well these days. (Many teachers are noticing that preschoolers are starting out their educational years with less executive functioning than previous students years past.) A recent New York Times article delved into a new solution for helping preschooler have more executive function and more self-control. Read the article here. That solution can help teens learn self-control as well.

The solution? Play! But not just any type of play, but rather dramatic, pretend play. Play has been stripped from our children’s lives at school and home and replaced with a heavy load of academics, organized sports and over scheduled lives. Play has gotten a bad rap as something silly, frivolous and without merit. Yet play is the womb for brain growth, happiness, innovation, stress regulation, and learning, among other wonderful things.

Teens aren’t keen to go back to playing dress-up-lets-pretend, (which is what helps little ones learn better) but they are, believe it or not, quite happy to use their imaginations and get their hands messy.  When given the chance to use their imagination to create, teens have a better chance to learn self-control.

The challenge for parents is to learn HOW to bring play back into their teens lives and how to play along with them at times. Even preschoolers need to be directed at how to play as it has been slowly removed from our culture so you can well imagine how challenging it is to bring play into the lives of our teens.

One place parents can learn more about the importance of play and how to add it to their daughters lives is at www.honorthegirl.me.  Part of the monthly subscription covers the topic of play.

As more scientists publish the positive benefits of play, and experts bemoan the loss of play in our lives, parents have the chance to learn more.

I’ll keep you posted about the latest reseach on play and how you can ues it to be a better parent, and how it can benefit your teen daughter.

All best,

Dr. Jenn

Periods are natural. Are Your Tampons?

I discovered an amazing company dedicated to providing natural tampons and sanitary pads. They are great! Here is info from the company’s founder. It’s worth a quick read and a click to their site.

Product Line Summary

Maxim products provide a Soft, Safe and Natural solution to existing health and environmental risks and concerns associated with the use and production of conventional Tampons, Sanitary Pads, Pantiliners and Cosmetic Puff Products. Maxim’s commitment to sustainability and good health is evident in products that are Made with 100% Certified Organic and Natural Cotton, Chlorine/Dioxin Free, Synthetic Free, Biodegradable, and Hypoallergenic. Make and Feel the Difference with Maxim. Visit us at www.maximhy.com or Call 1.888.95MAXIM.

Our Story

Maxim was developed after twenty-five years of manufacturing and distribution experience in the feminine hygiene industry, held by company Founder, Kenneth Alvandi. His extensive work on every angle of the business, values for producing quality products, and having three very special women in his life (his wife and two daughters), led him to his vision of taking his years of experience to the max by creating safer and more natural products for women.

Inspired by her father’s vision, Rebecca teamed up with Kenneth for Maxim’s official  launch in 2008, and since then they’ve been working to change the face and feel of feminine hygiene with Maxim, a Soft, Safe and Natural alternative to conventional feminine hygiene products.

As a father and daughter team, Kenneth and Rebecca combine Ken’s industry knowledge and Rebecca’s feminine perspective with their homegrown values for the Body, Earth and Health, to provide a range of natural lifestyle products to best suit personal hygienic needs.

Kenneth and Rebecca plan to make many more exciting advances in expanding the Maxim product line under the Maxim philosophy.

Our Philosophy

The founders of Maxim built the company and developed Maxim products with three main elements in mind – Body, Earth, and Health. They asked themselves, “How can we take these three very basic and essential components of life to their maximum level of efficiency and sustainability?” This question has become our company’s personal mantra in everything we do. Each element alone is strong, but by combining them together in to one product we are meeting our maximum potential.

Body

Each person’s body is unique in its composition and form, but every body wants and needs to feel good. Our designs and product materials play a significant role in providing comfort and convenience for life’s every day personal care needs.

Earth

The Earth is our source of life and we’ve only got one. If we don’t take care of it we might as well start saying goodbye to it. We like to try to breathe life in to every aspect of our products; from our Eco-Friendly packaging, to the use of Biodegradable, Synthetic Free, Wood Fluff Pulp Free and Chlorine/Dioxin Free materials, we are always looking for ways to help keep our environment safe.

Health

Health is the most influential element out of all three body, earth and health standards. Body and earth alone are strong components, however having a healthy body and earth is the strongest component in nurturing quality of life.

Maxim Hygiene Products  /  Marketing and Development Director  /  Tel: 516.621.3323 /  Fax: 516.621.3312  /  www.MaximHy.com

 

 

 

 

Text Them Money!

I learned about Obopay a few months ago. It’s easy, quick and safe. Here’s a letter from Lynda Lopez of Obopay to explain:

As a busy Mom of two college age daughters – I constantly struggle with the best way to keep them safe, happy and financially secure. As my daughters don’t live at home anymore, I don’t have the luxury of handing them a check or cash for books, clothes or food. Recently I received a call from my daughter Kaitlyn while I was at the airport.  She desperately needed $168 for a class textbook that was almost sold out at the bookstore.

Lucky for my daughters, I’m a Mobile Account Manager at Obopay, a mobile money transfer service for parents like me, that lets me use my mobile phone to send money to my loved ones instantly. I know firsthand how Obopay helps me stay connected with my family – and countless others I care about.

Using Obopay, I can send money to my teenager from the convenience of my mobile phone and it only costs 25 cents. My daughters receive a text message instantly alerting them that they have received money from Mom. Then, they use their own Obopay Prepaid debit MasterCard® to spend the money or get it out of an ATM machine. It is quick, simple, and secure.  An added bonus is that I’m teaching my children financial responsibility and how to manage money. I schedule payments into their account, much like an “allowance,” making it easier than ever to give them their spending money. Much to my daughter’s likely dismay, I can track where they are spending the money. If needed, I can lock or suspend an account any time – such as if my daughter spent grocery money on a new dress. But as mom’s we know THAT doesn’t happen (wink wink).

As to my daughter’s book problem, sending her money was as easy as sending a text message. I simply launched the Obopay application on my Blackberry and sent her $168. She was able to immediately swipe her Obopay Prepaid debit MasterCard® at the campus bookstore and purchase the textbook she needed – all while I stood in the airport security line.

To sign up for an Obopay account,visit www.obopay.com. There is no fee to sign up, and each teen that you sign up will receive an Obopay Prepaid Debit MasterCard®..

 Hope that helps!
All best,

Dr. Jenn

Where Are You Dr. Jenn?

Thank you to everyone who has called or emailed asking about my month long absence from the web. I moved from San Francisco to New York and snuck in some much needed downtime on a beach in Florida in the middle of the chaos.

 I’m now in the middle of opening the very first Honor the Girl Center, a place where mothers and their teen daughters can find the solutions they need in today’s world.

I’ve been listening to your concerns and soon I’ll have more solutions for you at the click of a mouse.  I’m doing all I can to be here for you in the way you need it most.

Coming soon is an easier to navigate website,  down-loadable reports, and a revamped second edition of Laid or Loved? retitled for those of you who are hesitant over the the word Laid in the title, plus a whole lot more.

I wish you all the  very best as we slowly move into the reflective winter season ahead. May you all be as deeply happy as I am.

Dr. Jenn