pro football schedule

Follow Your Teen's Dreams!
By Linda Gray, Fri Dec 9th

As parents, we often complain of troublesome three year olds.Three year olds are troublesome because they are developing frombabyhood to childhood.

Teenagers get the same reaction - developing from childhood toadulthood is not an easy transition, and so much communicationcan be lost along the way, especially with parents, who could,with a little effort, be the teenager's best friend....

A certain understanding of the roots of a problem, and a lot ofacceptance can bridge so many gaps and ease the changeover froma 3 to 5 year old, or indeed a 13-20 year old.

But how on earth do you find the root of the problem when youhardly know what the problem is, and your teenager certainlyisn't going to reveal it to their parents. In your dreams!

The solution is to 'not' focus on the problem - we know in ourhearts that focusing on a problem will not find the solution.Sowhat do we do? We ignore the problem, or more to the point, weput it on hold.

The most certain way to communicate with anyone is to ask themwhat their dreams are, what they want from life, how theyvisualize themselves in the future.

Get into their space:

Many teenagers will be dreaming of celebrity type status,footballer, singer, film star. And before you decide for yourteenager that these dreams are unattainable, remember someone'sgot to be doing it....

Find out what your teenager is interested in, ask them what theydream about, and go with it. Yes enjoy it with them. Let themdream and then help them on their way.Even if you're absolutelyconvinced in your heart that your teenager has no acting abilityor can't kick a football to save their lives, that's not for youto judge.

People achieve stunning things in this world, wouldn't you loveyour child to be one of them. A happy fulfilled individual ableto share his or her success with the rest of us mortals?!

How many of us grow up with firm beliefs that we aren't capableof achieving our dreams because someone at sometime told us wedidn't have what it takes?

Don't let that happen to your loved ones. Following your dreamshould be an enjoyable experience. Most 'successful' people willtell you it's not the goal but the journey that counts. You

needthe goal though to be able to begin the journey.

Find out what your teenager is dreaming about....

Don't make the cringing mistake of making their dream somethingyou're particularly interested in. Your teenager won't respectyou for this and will more than likely be embarrassed by it.

The best way to help with the dream path, is to take the stepslogically, one tiny step at a time. Sit down and discuss thepossibilities and the impossibilities. Make some notes together.Buy a homework book to note dreams and goals. Take it seriously.

Do a little research, and come up with the first step in theprocess. Maybe you could download free scripts from the internetto practise acting skills at home. Have fun acting out the filmsand learn while you play!

Is there a local football club your budding football star couldjoin and train on Saturday mornings?

Don't be afraid to NOT achieve the dreams. I was always told'you'll only get disappointed when you don't make it.' Well,hey, a little disappointment and a slight change of directionisn't nearly as devastating as never fulfilling any of yourdreams and resentfully working in a job you hate for the rest ofyour life.

Keep an open mind, we change our minds and ideas as we growolder, take on responsibilities, change our careers... It'sperfectly okay to change your goals and dreams, and this shouldbe clearly stated when you first chat about the dreams with yourteenager. As long as you don't ridicule the idea, you will finda way.

A series of events while pursuing an acting career, could soeasily lead to the individual wanting to polish up his/herwriting skills. And what's wrong with that? The contact andexperience was necessary to find the right path towardsfulfilment. A less than brilliant sporting talent may result inacting the part in the next blockbuster!

We can't predict the future, but we do all have a perfect rightto pursue our dreams and be happy in our lives. The happier weare, the more happiness we share with others, and the happierthey are!

About the author:Set up your home and garden scene to fit with all the family.Drop in at Flower and Garden Tips for pots of gardening advice.Start from the home and garden page and stroll through thegreenery! Home and Garden