Newswise — America's youth have a major problem"¦ and it's not just sex, drugs or rock 'n roll.
They are under such tremendous stress that it's damaging their physical health and psychological well being.
Whether it's stresses early in life typically tied to rushed families, over-scheduling of extracurricular activities, and goading by peers or, in the teen years, the anxiety and pressure related to getting into "the" college, the pressure on today's youth begins at an increasingly early age and threatens individual children, families and society itself.
In today's pressure-cooker society, children and teens need to tap into their strengths, acquire specific skills to cope, recover from adversity, and be prepared for future challenges. They need to be resilient in order to succeed in life's long haul.
In an effort to spark national dialogue on stress and its effect on children and teens, two accomplished professionals " Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP, a nationally recognized pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Marilee Jones, Dean of Admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - have joined forces with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to author two companion books that address the issue.
The goal of each: provide parents, children, and adolescents with a range of support to strengthen a child's resiliency skills so they can develop into dynamic, successful, and confident adults " a process that starts in early childhood and lasts through the admissions process and beyond.
Both books are currently available online through the AAP and in bookstores nationwide starting in September. Dr. Ginsburg's "A Parent's Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Your Child Roots and Wings," provides parents with specific strategies to help their children:
· Develop the ability to make wise decisions· Avoid risky behaviors· Develop self-discipline· Apply appropriate stress management techniques · Recover from setbacks and move forward with optimism and confidence
In "Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond," Jones and Dr. Ginsburg discuss why the college admissions process has become a time of extremely high stress and how that stress is having negative consequences on the emotional and physical health of young adults.
Jones and Dr. Ginsburg urge parents and youth to redefine success by talking about:· Getting into the RIGHT college as opposed to getting into the "best" college· The nonexistent academic "golden key" to ultimate happiness and success· Viewing the admissions process as an initiation rite student's must navigate with minimal adult guidance· Finding the best college match so the student will flourish both academically and personally· The pitfalls of perfectionism, and the benefits of innovative, creative thinking· How raising children who think "outside the box" and are resilient and confident will best prepare them for any college, not "the" college
Together these books provide strategies for raising a generation of successful, competent, and well-rounded individuals.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For book excerpts, brochures and additional public education information on raising resilient children and teens, please visit the AAP Web site at http://www.aap.org/stress.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
Title: Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and BeyondAuthors: Marilee Jones; Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP; Martha M. JablowPublisher: American Academy of Pediatrics, Distributed by Independent Publishers Group Publication: October 2006, $14.95, Paper, ISBN: 1581102305, Parenting/Family Care, 254 pages, 6 x 9
Title: A Parent's Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Your Child Roots and WingsAuthors: Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP; Martha M. Jablow Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics, Distributed by Independent Publishers Group Publication: October 2006, $15.95, Paper, ISBN: 1581102267, Parenting/Family Care, 304 pages, 6 x 9
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