The Trick to Getting Your Teen to Open Up

There's never a shortage of news in the parenting world — from differing parenting styles to new studies and beyond. But there are only so many hours in the day, and we can't cover every story that catches our eyes. Take a look at the seven stories you may have missed this week but need to read.

  • Does your teen communicate by rolling her eyes and slamming doors? Well, you're not alone. But the reason behind her behavior may have nothing to do with horrific hormones. It turns out, we could be to blame.
  • There are many things we try to teach our kids — compassion, honesty, and generosity, just to name a few. But if we could only chose one trait to pass down to our children, what would it be? When asked the question, 93 percent of parents said responsibility was the most important, and there is a good reason why.
  • When Deven Jackson was diagnosed with meningitis, doctors were forced to amputate both of the boy's legs. At the time, the 8-year-old was worried he would never be able to walk again, let alone play football. Now, two years and several procedures later, he is taking to the field and scoring a major touchdown.
  • Moms aren't ones to waste anything, including their breast milk. So when Whitney Barthel found herself with a larger supply of milk and no one to feed it to, she decided to donate her stash to a milk bank. But this good deed opened up a bit of discussion in online mom groups, with the main question being, would you feed your child someone else's breast milk?
  • High school students get a bad reputation for being self-centered, but one Texas teen proved that there are always exceptions. After being crowned homecoming queen, Anahi Alvarez decided to pass the honor on to a classmate who endured some difficulties earlier that week. Alvarez shared the title with Lillian Skinner who had been bullied by several peers. Now that is how a queen behaves!
  • With Fall comes football, which, for parents, means worrying about concussions. But a change in equipment could keep our kids safer on the field. New helmet sensors would alert coaches when a child has taken a major hit to the head. Is this something you would get behind?
  • Parents always put children first, even if they aren't our own. When 51-year-old Laura Zborowski noticed that a school bus was about to run over a 10-year-old girl, she sprung into action and pushed the little girl out of the way. Unfortunately, Zborowski was unable to save herself in the process.