How to have Open Communication with your Teens

Teenage years from 13 – 19 years are considered one of the challenging years in a parent – child relationship. Parents and teenagers are having a hard time to catch with their generation gap and sometimes come to the point having a hard time communicating with each other. It is a phase wherein teens start to develop their sense of identity and that is the reason why they need more guidance.

Studies have shown that lack parental guidance and support may lead to unwanted behavior among teenagers like drinking, drugs, and having unprotected sex. And with this parents should have an open communication with their teenagers even though it can be a real struggle.

Here are some tips how you can keep communication lines open with your teenagers:

• Asked questions and be “askable” yourself
• Create a good, casual and interesting communication with your teens. Asked them about what happen at school, things that they do during the day. And let them feel that they can also ask you question even the sensitive ones.
• Take your cue from your teenager - there's absolutely no point saying you want to talk, when he's rushing to get ready for a night out.
• Try to spend time alone with your teenager and go out somewhere if there aren't any opportunities at home.
• Treat your teenager with respect, much as you would another adult.
• Don't overreact or fly off the handle if you don't like what you hear
• Don't score points - like all of us, teenagers don't like being put down.
• Don't try to impose your ideas - he'll inevitably reject what you have to offer.
• Never put him down for his views or ideas; he needs your approval
• Share information about what's going on in your life, but only for as long as your teen seems interested.
• It's better to negotiate a solution than enforce your demands, so don't say, "I want your room cleaned up tonight," but "I'm getting really upset at the state of your room. When do you think you can tidy it up?"

What is Postpartum Depression and Baby Blues

Child birth is a joyous event for most women. Because of the fact that you are able to carry a life your womb . But there are cases that not all new mom felt happy and excited about this. Some women felt sad, anxious, afraid or sometimes angry.

Baby blues and Postpartum depression is a form of clinical depression which usually occurs to women after child birth . And an estimate of 10% of new moms experiences this kind of depression. The difference with postpartum and baby blues is that postpartum is the severe case of baby blues and needs doctor attention and counseling. Baby blues happen right after child birth and only last a few days. New mom can have sudden change in mood, sadness, loss of appetite. And on the other hand postpartum depression can happen anytime within the first year after birth. The usual symptoms are sadness, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness.

You can easily cope with baby blues as long as the signs are mild and short live. Here are some tips from Sixwise Healthy Family Guide on how to manage baby blues:

1. Takea rest as often as you can. Even short naps can be beneficial.
2. Cry if you need to.
3. Don't judge yourself for how you're feeling. It's normal!
4. Talk to your husband , family and friends about how you're feeling. You can also join a new mom’s support group to talk to others going through a similar transition.
5. Ask for help when you need it, and accept help when others offer it.
6. Keep visitors to a minimum.
7. Prioritize what has to be done versus what can wait to be done (i.e. don't try to do everything you used to do immediately). It's OK to take a nap while the baby is sleeping instead of keeping up with the dishes. You don't have to be Supermom.
8. Eat plenty of healthy foods regularly throughout the day, as it's been found that low blood sugar can make your symptoms worse.
9. Exercise. It's a natural mood booster.
10. Try to find a few minutes a day to relax . Reading, taking a bath, meditating or listening to some music -- even for 15 minutes -- will help you feel better.
11. Keep a diary of your feelings.