During my research I stumbled upon a website titled radical parenting and was a little skeptical about the topic of this site. In short it is a website from a teen’s point of view giving advice to parents about how to parent. After searching through this website and the topic I realized that the concept of getting help from our teens is not uncommon.
The Family Foundation School offers the opportunity for students to Become part of the Solution by offering an environment that is peer based. This environment asks our more mature students to engage in the school culture, to help our new student’s transition at school, and asks that students keep each other accountable to the rules at school. Through this interaction, our students have an active part in their own success here at The Family Foundation School. The parenting website, asks teens to engage with parents on a healthy level and help out by explaining some of their own actions / thoughts. This method also allows teens to become part of their own success through sharing their thoughts about various parenting topics.
One of our greatest difficulties we face when dealing with teens, or any family member, is that we are often too close to the situation emotionally. The Family Foundation School offers a way of having a neutral party involved in situations that fit our services, and helps eliminate some of the emotional stress. The parenting website introduces a teen’s perspective to parents from sources other than their own teen. This method helps because it eliminates some of the emotional ties we have with our own family while still having access to what motivates our children: thoughts on issues, the latest trends, TV shows etc…
Both the Family Foundation Schools and the parenting websites method involve teen interaction and added responsibility on the teen’s part. Both places ask teens to be consciously involved in the choices and decisions they make in their lives. In addition, what I found truly fascinating were the items written by the teens themselves. To have the ability to write about their actions and thoughts in such an open way is truly impressive.
