Friendships are Important to Teens

Peer relationships are very important to teens. 1) Friendships provide teens with opportunities to develop conflict resolution skills. Teens can learn how to end a fight and still remain friends. 2) Friends provide fun and excitement for teens through companionship and recreation. 3) Friends also give advice to one another. Teens talk through lots of issues and problems with their friends. 4) Loyalty is a valued trait in friendship. Teens are looking for loyal allies that can help them out at school or in their own neighborhood. 5) Friendships also provide stability during times of stress or transition. It is helpful to teens to have a friend who is going through the same situations and can ease the anxieties of the times.
What happens when youth don't have friends? Teens without friends tend to be more lonely and unhappy. They tend to have lower levels of academic achievement and lower self esteem. As they get older, they are more apt to drop out of school and to get involved in delinquent activities.

Do you agree with the benefits of having friends? Describe how your friends help you with the above skills.
This information is from: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/familyworks/teen-05.html

Teen Drivers

In the USA Today newspaper today, there is an article on teen drivers. The article says that car (vehicle) crashes are the number one cause of death for 15- to 20- year olds. According to the article, when teens drive, too much is happening in the car: other teens, talking on the cellphone, signing and dancing, speeding, drinking alcohol, and smoking pot. Teens are not experienced drivers and when they have all of this happening inside the car, they cannot pay attention. Many teens are involved in car crashes because of this. Questions - do you think that the age for obtaining (getting) a driver's license should be raised to 18? Have you experienced riding in a car where the driver was not paying attention? What do you think about the information in the article? Does it frighten you?