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And you thought the ‘terrible two’s” were bad, now your teenager wants to start dating. When it comes to teenager dating many parents will find it somewhat less challenging if all parties involved are well aware of the ground rules and expectations.

When your child enters their teen years, it’s time to start talking about what you consider the proper age for dating. The earlier you let your child know what age you think they need to be before they can start dating, the less (hopefully) fighting will occur. Children and parents almost always have different ideas of when they should start dating, but at least if you’ve talked about it openly for some time, neither of you will feel blindsided.

Here are some great tips to keep your teen safe when they begin dating:

1. Make it very clear to your teen what your expectations are as to the type of dates they are allowed to go on. For example, if your teen is only allowed to go on dates with another couple(s) make sure they, and their date, know that.

2. Be very clear as to what time their curfew is as well as what the punishment will be if they are late. Again, make sure their date knows this as well.

3. Make sure your teen never leaves the house without a cell phone and some money.

4. Make sure you always keep the lines of communication open with your teen and let them know that if they get themselves in a jam, they should call you and you will come and get them no questions asked (at least not until you are both safely home).

5. Even though some parents find it hard to do, make sure that your child has knowledge about sex and the consequences of sex such as STD’s and pregnancy. Being a parent means you can’t be a wimp, if you feel uncomfortable talking to your teen about these issues, too bad, get over it. The life you save may be your kid’s!

6. Also, explain the dangers of drinking or doing drugs specifically in the context of dating. Make sure your teen understands that if they drink and drive they could kill themselves or one of their friends. Also make sure they understand that being drunk or high can impair their judgment when it comes to things like having sex.

7. Make sure that you meet their date. You don’t need to grill them, but just some polite conversation is fine as well as a friendly reminder of what your expectations are when it comes to curfews, acceptable places to go, etc.

8. And last, but not least, let your kid know you love them and even though you worry about them that it doesn’t mean you don’t trust them. Just let them know that you will be there for them no matter what and if they ever need to talk to you, just listen.

When you have kids, the scary changes just seem to keep on coming at you and teenager dating is one of those changes. The best thing you can do to help your teenager get through this time is to try to keep communication lines open no matter what. Believe it or not, more often than not they really are listening.

The world has gone digital, today it’s estimated that more people will meet someone to date online than off. This trend is also showing up with teenage online dating. Many adults would argue that kids are in school and have part time jobs so they have many chances to meet someone to date right in their own backyard. Whether you think online dating is appropriate for your teen or not, the reality is that your teen is very likely already meeting new people online so it might be good if you monitor their actions so you can help keep them safe.

Of course, not matter what your age, the most obvious benefits to online dating is the opportunity to meet people that you may never have had the opportunity to meet in real life. You can meet people from virtually anywhere in the world and most any cultural background. Unfortunately the downside is that you don’t really know who you’re talking to. That 16 year old from the next town could actually be a 40 year old from your neighborhood. That’s why it’s so important to teach your teen how to be safe online.

Here are some safety tips to instill in your teenager, and this is the time to not worry about repeating yourself:

1. Remind them that they don’t really know who they’re talking to so they shouldn’t give out any personal information such as their address, phone number, name of their school, what kind of car they drive, the name of the mall they hang out in, etc. Any or all of this seemingly innocent information could be all the information a predator needs to come into physical contact with your teen.

Here’s a case in point: there was a story not long ago about a kid chatting with another ‘kid’ online. He was pretty careful to not give away too much information but he did mention the name of his school. In another conversation, weeks later, he mentioned that he and some friends were going to the local mall. The ‘kid’ he was chatting with online was an undercover police officer and he used this ‘innocent’ information to track down the kid he’d been chatting with when he was at the mall with his friends.

Talk about scary, it’s a good thing that it was a police officer and not a predator. That teen learned a very valuable lesson that day, and you need to tell your kids about this story so they can too… a predator can use the most innocent of information to locate them.

2. If your teen and their online friend think that they’d like to meet, try to talk with them on the phone first, this way it will be much harder to lie to you about who they really are and how old they are. Also never, ever, let them meet anyone from online until they tell you about it. Once they’ve told you about it, the two of you can figure out the safest way to meet their new online friend (hint, it won’t be anywhere near your home or school).

Whether we like it or not, teenage online dating is most likely here to stay. Instead of fighting it (which is likely to just encourage your kids to do it behind your back) talk to your teen about the good and the bad of online dating. Make sure they know how to protect themselves and let them know that they can always come to you if they feel uncomfortable about something that has happened.

No matter how difficult it is to face, all parents need to understand that teenage domestic violence and dating violence are very real issues. To many of us, it seems inconceivable that this has become such a widespread problem, but whether we can understand it or not, it’s up to us to help protect our kids from this frightening reality.

When it comes to keeping our kids safe there is no magic formula that is guaranteed to work 100% of the time. There is, however, a simple thing that can be done that will significantly increase the chances that your kids will grow up to be smart, healthy and safe. What is that simple thing? You. Don’t ever let your own doubts and fears get transferred onto your child (easier said than done sometimes). Let your kids know that they can trust you and that they can come to you and talk with you about anything. This is vitally important. If you prove to your kids throughout their lives that they can talk to you and you will listen, you’ve gone a long way to help keep them safe.

That’s not to say that you won’t get upset or angry with them, but if you teach them to make good decisions and what is right and wrong than they’ll have a much better chance of avoiding these dangerous situations in the first place. Another thing to keep in mind is to let your kids understand tolerance. I’ve seen it happen too often that parents were trying so hard to instill good moral values in their kids that they just came across as judgmental and intolerant. Be very careful how you go about teaching your kids what is right and wrong so you don’t send the message that hatred and intolerance will somehow make them superior.

Here are some other helpful tips to keep your kids safe when they start dating:

1. Talk to your kids about what is appropriate behavior and what isn’t before they start dating. Let them know that excessive ‘teasing’ or possessiveness are signs of trouble and if they meet someone who does that they should stay clear.

2. Even with the best prep it might happen that your kid is being abused by their boyfriend/girlfriend and won’t tell you. It’s up to you to keep your eyes open. If your child suddenly starts getting ‘accident prone’ after dating someone new, it’s time to get involved. More than one person has been hit by their significant other and claimed they walked into a door.

3. If you have any suspicions that your teen is involved in an abusive relationship it’s time to take action. Make sure that your child does not come into contact with the abuser, if that means sending your kid away to live with their aunt than so be it. It’s also time to contact the authorities and file charges. If your kid is still ‘in love’ with their abuser you need to get them into counseling ASAP, if not this pattern will likely keep playing out throughout their whole life.

Teenage domestic violence is an all too real threat to your teen today. Being proactive and instilling a strong sense of self confidence in your child from a young age are two of the best things you can do to protect your kids, not only from violence but from many other dangers as well.

Even if you have bad credit, refinance on your existing home is still possible. I know it may be hard to comprehend, you thought you were stuck right where you are; because no one wants to help any one who is down. Usually they do all they can to keep you down. Well, things have changed these days because interest rates are so low your lender may be willing to help without causing too much anguish on your part.

The only thing your lender is interested in is you making your monthly mortgage payment in full and on time. If they have to take a little off the interest to accomplish this fact then they will. They do not want your house. They probably have so many at this point they can’t even count them. The last thing they want is one more house.

Ask your lender to help you learn to rebuild your credit rating in order to refinance your house and help you get out from under some bills. If they start seeing you as a person instead of an account number you will benefit. You can save hundreds of dollars a year on your monthly mortgage payment, because the prime interest rate is still so low.

Remember, your lender is not just going to agree to do this right when you ask them to. They will need some information from you to help them make their determination. They will need your income and verification of that income, how much debt you have and all three credit scores before they will even think of saying yes.

As I said the prime rate of interest has fallen recently and this is a positive thing for you if you do need to refinance. You will still probably pay a higher interest rate when you do refinance but take solace in the fact that you will not pay nearly what you would if the interest rate had not gone down at all. If you do not already escrow property taxes or insurance you may be requird to do so with a refinance just like you would be if you were going for a modification of your loan.

If this happens your payment may not change very much at all but you will have the peace of mind in knowing that your property taxes and insurance is taken care of with every monthly payment.

So what happens if your lender says that after careful consideration they still think you are too much of a risk and responds negatively to your application for refinance? The first thing I would do, other than finding ways to make the monthly mortgage payment on time, would be to check with the state to find out how long it will take to foreclose on a house and what to expect.

Then saving money to finance your move has to take precedence over anything else. So keep up with the monthly bills but if your lender is going to foreclose, save the house payment for several months for your new rental. Go over your finances and simplify as much as possible. Get rid of payments you do not need to make and try to reduce the ones you do need to make. Fixing your finances yourself can give you a great sense of relief and accomplishment. Especially if your lender thinks you are too much of a risk, because of your bad credit, refinance with them is out of the question

As the parent of a teenager, one of the things you need to make sure of is that your teen understands the very possible reality of teenage dating violence. As scary as it may be, this is becoming and increasingly common issue among young people today. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that this type of behavior isn’t common in teens, it is, as a matter of fact it’s been recently discovered that one in three teens will encounter some sort of violence during their teen dating years.

While you can’t completely protect your kids, there are many things that you can do that may help them avoid this type of situation in the first place:

1. For one thing, talk to your kid even before they hit the teenage years, do everything in your power to let them know they are a wonderful human being and give them the strength and self confidence to stand up for themselves. Always keep the lines of communication open so that your teen knows that they can come to you with a problem and they won’t be chastised or made to feel foolish just because they made a mistake. Let them know that making mistakes is what helps us grow and that you know they will make the right decisions more often than not, but on those rare occasions when they don’t, let them know you love them and have their back.

This isn’t a guarantee that they won’t fall in with the wrong type of person, but you’d be surprised at how much your admiration of them and belief in them can help them make good decisions even when you’re not around.

2. Explain to your teens what is considered appropriate behavior and what isn’t. For example, when someone is dating the school ‘jock’ they may think it’s romantic if he is overly possessive or jealous. Make sure your teens knows that there is nothing romantic about that type of behavior and that that type of behavior is abuse and your teen doesn’t have to put up with it.

Other forms of behavior that often will escalate into physical violence are: mocking, manipulating, playing games, flirting with others, being late for dates or not calling when they say they will, etc. Basically bad behavior of any sort should be considered a danger sign and your teen needs to know that if they see any of this in their relationship, especially in the beginning, that they should stop seeing that person right away.

3. Explain to your teens about date rape drugs and how easy it is for someone to dump some in their drink and what impact such as drug can have on their judgment.

4. And let your teen know that they will meet mostly good people and they don’t have to go through life feeling afraid. Just let them know that if a person or a situation doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t and they should trust their judgment and watch out for warning signs.

Protecting your teen from teenage dating violence is something that every parent needs to be proactive about. The best thing you can do for your kid is to raise them with a strong sense of what they consider appropriate behavior and what isn’t appropriate and the self confidence to distance them self from anyone that doesn’t live by the same code of conduct.

It’s an alarming trend, it’s estimated that one in five teens will suffer some sort of physical abuse in a relationship, and of course, teen girls are more likely to be victimized in this way than teen boys. If you want to know what you can do to protect your teen from teenage dating abuse, this article will provide you with some helpful information.

Of course, if you want to protect your kids from a myriad of issues from abuse, to addiction, the best time to start is long before they become teenagers. If you raise your kids from an early age to feel good about who they are and what they have to offer the world, they are much less likely to fall victim to abuse or addiction. Low self esteem is one of the worst things a kid can have when they are going through this difficult transition into adulthood. Be very careful how you communicate with your child, what you consider ‘motivation’ may actually sound to them like condemnation and that can undermine their feelings of self worth throughout their whole life.

Getting your kid involved in something that they love is another great way to increase their self esteem. One word of caution: don’t make this about you, don’t set unrealistically high goals for your child or instead of building up their self esteem it will be crushed. These activities should be something your kid loves to do, they don’t necessarily even need to be good at it. Giving them something that they are passionate about is a great way to help keep them from so many bad choices that teens make today.

Make sure your teen knows that love isn’t trying to force them to do something they don’t want to do. It might be a cliche, but it still happens, the “if you love me, you’ll do it for me” gambit that many young people use to get sex. Let your teen know what love is and what it isn’t. Love isn’t about manipulating someone to do something they don’t want to do, that is just selfishness.

Other types of behavior to tell your kids to be on the lookout for are:

1. If their boyfriend/girlfriend starts telling them what to wear, how to do their hair, who they can see or not see, etc. These are all disturbing signs of an abuser and your teen needs to know that if someone they are dating starts doing this than they should end the relationship right away.

2. If your teen starts acting differently, more moody and irritable than normal, doesn’t want to talk about their relationship, gets overly upset when you say anything negative about their boyfriend, has a lot of scratches or bruises, suddenly stops seeing their old friends, etc. these are all warning signs that your teen may be in an abusive relationship. If you suspect your teen is in an abusive relationship there is help, go to your local domestic violence website and start the search for information, and help, there.

It’s a sad reality, but kids really are growing up fast these days, and some of them are turning into abusers at much earlier ages. If you want to protect your teen from teenage dating abuse, the advice in this article is a great place to start.

Have you ever been in an elegant restaurant, ordered an appetizer, had a salad, sampled the warm crusty bread, and found that by the time entrée was served you could barely finish it because you were already full? Use that same trick when you have dinner at home.

It takes our brain about 15 minutes to register that our stomachs are full. Give yourself a head start. Have an appetizer about 15 minutes before you start your dinner and you’ll eat less. Eat less and you’ll lose weight. Below are a few ideas.

Whip nonfat cottage cheese in the blender with freshly chopped herbs, salt, and pepper. Serve with sliced raw vegetables such as baby carrots, cucumbers, and celery.

Grate a peeled cucumber with 4 or 5 large radishes, lightly salt. In the meantime, cream one package of non fat, or low fat, cream cheese. Chop 3 or 4 scallions. Drain any liquid from the cucumber/radish mixture, add the scallions, and mix with cream cheese. Serve with whole wheat crackers. The cream cheese veggie mixture will keep for several days in the fridge – and is great on toasted bagels for breakfast.

Heat two cups of good quality chicken broth in a small sauce pan. For an oriental soup, add a bit of finely chopped ginger, a teaspoon of soy sauce, and a cup of finely chopped fresh vegetables. Simmer for about 5 minutes. An Italian version would add finely chopped garlic, fresh basil, oregano and frozen chopped spinach to the broth. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of parmesan cheese right before serving. Add ½ cup sliced mushrooms to the chicken broth for an elegant mushroom soup.

Boost the flavor of a glass of tomato juice, or vegetable juice, with any of the following: lemon or lime juice, celery seeds, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, cumin, or dill pickle juice. Serve over ice in a tall glass.

If time is short, eat a salad as your appetizer but go easy on the dressing. Or make your own dressing with two parts olive oil to one part vinegar/lemon juice. Another easy salad is sliced tomatoes, arranged in a circle on a salad plate. Drizzle the tomatoes with about a teaspoon of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, add a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bruschetta is simply toasted bread with a topping. Slice sourdough bread into 1 inch slices, grill or place under the broiler until lightly brown. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and low fat cheese. Chopped tomatoes are another alternative.

Pick a simple low fat appetizer for dinner and you’ll cut the amount of food you consume. Less food means lost weight.