With the current economic states many college students are replacing their dreams of expensive 4-year colleges with cheaper community colleges.

Miley Cyrus’ tween years were “friendless, lonely and miserable” as she was bullied by mean girls.

One of the teens convicted of beating a fellow student and videotaping it for YouTube got 3 years of probation and 100 hours of community service plus she must write a letter of apology to the victim.

High School Musical’s Zac Efron got a stocking full of condoms for Christmas last year.

20% of teens have sent nude pictures of themselves electronically.

Kids who wear alcohol-branded merchandise are 1.5 times more likely to start drinking and binge drink than kids who don’t.

Kids who watch television more than 2 hours a day have twice the risk of developing asthma.

Mattel is creating a new tween Dora doll. She is thin, has long hair and moving to NYC.

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Sunday Reading

Vanessa Van Petten give us 7 facts about teen dating abuse that all parents should know.

Kids who talk on cell phones may be more likely to walk in to traffic.

ADHD drugs may cause kids to hallucinate even when taken correctly.

Business Week’s Working Parents has some information on keeping your kids off drugs.

Can you catch obesity like the common cold?

The new Road Safety Campaign has been created to show parents how to help teen drivers stay safe on the road.

A university in the U.K. is doing away with textbooks and instead downloaded lessons on to ipods.

With an “obesity epidemic” going on in the U.S. why are we still criticizing thin actresses for putting on a few pounds. When I first saw the photos of Jessica Simpson I thought we were making fun of her “mom jeans” and horrible choice of belt (or belts as the case may be). I was disgusting to find out the controversy is that she is now fat. Fat? Give me a break.

When it comes to sex the majority of today’s teens are more conservative than teens in the past.

A California school expelled two students for being lesbians. And the courts say the school has that right.

Teens who watch a lot of TV also eat a lot of crap foods.

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I’m referring to the MTV series, Real World. The true story of seven eight (this year) strangers picked to live in a house, have their lives taped and find out what happens when they stop being polite and start being real. Yes, I realize I’m in my 30’s and should be watching shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives (which I do), but I just can’t quit my old favorite.

The Real World premiered the year I graduated from high school. It was this new show with kids just my age facing some of the same “real world” issues I was facing. Back then reality TV was a rarity. In those days we had scripted comedies or dramas that always solved a problem in 30 minutes and always had a happy ending; shows like Cosby Show, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Roseanne. This reality TV thing was exciting and new (am I the only one who just started humming the Love Boat theme?). I was addicted and still am.

There are a lot of things to dislike about the show. Especially now that I’m a parent. Of teenagers. There’s a heck of a lot of drinking, sex (often unprotected and with multiple partners), and temper tantrums. But there are also a lot of things to like. Throughout the years we’ve seen young people on the show deal with alcoholism, depression, AIDS, prejudice, pregnancy scares, abortion, anger issues, finding love, and getting married. These are things teens who aren’t being followed by a film crew every minute of every day are facing.

One of the reasons I keep watching every season is the diversity. I love seeing these naive kids from small towns living with and learning from people of different races, religion, and sexual preferences or kids from big cities letting their guard down to accept somebody they never thought they’d be friends with. In past years we’ve seen castmates who are white, black, Hispanic, Mormon, Catholic, straight, gay, bi and more. I think it’s great for teens to see real people doing real things and making (and learning from) real mistakes.

And just when we thought we’d seen it all, Real World shook it up again this season by adding a transgender cast member. Katelynn Cusanelli moved in to the Real World Brooklyn house just three weeks after gender reassignment surgery. Right from the first handshake a few of her male roommates knew she was transgendered and at least one of them was clearly very curious about it.

I’m happy to see Real World taking on the transgender issue and allowing viewers to “meet” a transgender woman. It will be interesting to see how Katelynn’s roommates interact with her and (hopefully) accept her.

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Diversity on Real World

Has your teen read the 10 best books from 2008?

MTV’s ratings are falling within the teen and young adult age group…so their target market. I guess we no longer want our MTV.

Gaming is no longer just for boys. Publishers are now targeting girls as well with new games such as chearleading and High School Musical.

Author Lisa McMann and Simon & Schuster asks U.S. teens between 14 and 18 to tell them “What is the Greatest Obstacle You’ve Overcome?” Your teen could win $1000 towards reaching his/her goal.

A devastated mom warns of the dangers of alcohol poisoning.

Local scholarships are better than online scholarships.

American Girl is coming out with new dolls to teach self-empowerment. They are starting in 2009 with Charissa who teaches girls how to stand up to bullies.

There’s some new technology to help prevent teens from drunk dialing their latest crush.

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Sunday Reading

Ivy League schools are thinking about bringing ROTC back to school.

Your tween not ready for Facebook yet? Try a social network more geared for the tween set.

Scribbit offers some tips on teaching kids about the spirit of giving.

Telling kids smoking will make them fat has a bigger impact on them than telling them about the cancer risk.

Some social networking sites are making it easier to report internet abuses, including cyberbullying.

Singer Usher is holding a contest to give kids a chance to shoot his next music video.

Anal sex is on the rise with teens.

The FCC says teens are dropping out of college because of World of Warcraft.

Teens get more sleep if school starts later.

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Sunday Reading

Parents can help a teen with their body image issues by understanding, reassuring, explaining, and modeling.

Baby Boomers are raising a smug generation and it may be setting teens up for failure.

A ban on fast food advertising could decrease obesity by 18%.

Burger King is trying to get healthy by limiting sodium in kid meals and promoting adult meals with less than 650 calories.

Let kids eat cake…occasionally.

Some unique gift ideas for your tweens and teens.

Play = Learning, but kids are playing less.

There’s a new video game about graduate school and you need to write your dissertation.

Finally a manual for raising teens.

Want to have a drink with your teen to teach responsible drinking? Well it’s ok in some states, but not in others.

A new study finds that the internet is good for kids. Most kids avoid dangerous sites and only use the internet for research and communicating with friends.

Millennials prefer to do their banking via the web and instant messaging.

Another mom turned her kids in when she recognized them on the news as the suspects of a robbery.

Think your teen might be the victim of bullying? Here are the signs to look for.

It may be more difficult for a teen to quit smoking because teen’s don’t have a lot of the same options that adults have.

Presidents have always taken to the modern technology to address citizens. First it was radio, then television, and now the web. Obama is hosting his own version of Roosevelt’s fireside chats with weekly addresses on YouTube.

Here are some creative ways to give teens money for Christmas.

In celebrity news…

TRL ended it’s decade long run with a bang.

Not surprisingly, Miley Cryus says she is not dating that 20-year-old she hangs with constantly…they are just friends.

Paris Hilton and Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden ended their 9 month relationship.

Britney Spears says she got married for all the wrong reasons. And parents everywhere are screaming, “well duh!”

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Sunday Reading

What not to include on your social networking page.

Just in time for Christmas, here’s a list of the top 10 books for young adults.

If your tween isn’t getting enough gossip (is that even possible?) there’s a new gossip site geared towards tweens; Just Jared Jr.

Tyra Banks has some shocking statistics about our teens. Girls are losing their virginity at 14. And more than half of them aren’t using protection.

There’s an HPV vaccine in the works for men.

Here are some more suggestions on improving communication with your teen.

Need some ideas on teaching your child about budgeting?

Teach your teen how to not drink at parties.

Texting is the new way for parents to communicate with their teenagers.

Should Congress enact another Prohibition?

Text messaging can help your child combat obesity?

Teens are driving without a license…and being reckless.

And getting less than 8 hours of sleep makes you twice as likely to fall asleep behind the wheel.

State Farm tells us what we need to know while teaching our teens to drive.

Students who play a musical instrument outperform kids who don’t on vocabulary and reasoning.

Lindsay Lohan officially opens up about her relationship.

Is there another Disney star with naked photos?

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Sunday Reading

More and more kids are medicated today.

Twinkies are the latest in 100-calorie packs.

Bullies get pleasure out of seeing others in pain. That’s disturbing.

There is yet another study showing a link between teen aggression and video games.

An Idaho teen stabbed his mother because she wouldn’t let him get on MySpace. Really!?!

Miley Cyrus and David Archuleta are performing at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The drinking age debate continues.

Five ways to prevent diabetes in your teenager.

Researchers found a link between the amount of sleep a child gets and obesity in adulthood.

A New England Patriot cheerleader was kicked off the squad after photos of her drawing on a passed out partier were posted on Facebook. When will teens learn Facebook is not private?

Apparently adults need to remember Facebook is a public forum as well.

The National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) recognized 6 virtual worlds as best for kids; Club Penguin (a Gold winner and “Best Bang for the Buck”), Build-a-Bear, DisneyFairies.com, Moshi Monsters, Whyville (Gold winner), and Disney Pirates of the Caribbean.

Burger Kind is branching out to clothing. Is there really a market for this?

Gen Y is demanding tech in the workplace.

A young entrepreneur created InternshipIN to help college students find internships in their area using their IP address.

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Sunday Reading

Another option is the Blogging Scholarship. If your teen is a blogger have them check it out.

Cell phones are bring families together.

Teach your kids to stand up for the right thing even when it’s unpopular.

Now you can order a Pizza Hut pizza right from Facebook.

What did college students think of the last debate?

The Chicago public school district may soon have a new high school with a “gay-friendly” atmosphere.

Your teen may need to take vitamin D supplements.

Your teen not a football fan? She may be now. The Jonas Brothers are going to perform during halftime at the Thanksgiving game between the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks.

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Sunday Reading

One school made a 13-year-old Goth boy remove his makeup. Is this sexual discrimination?

When moms overestimate their teens’ future use of alcohol, it actually leads teens to drink more.

As a sign of the technology times, Visa is going mobile. Soon our teens will be doing everything with their cell phones.

Have you teenager-proofed your marriage?

Dr. Robyn has 7 ways to NOT be a helicopter parent when talking to teachers.

My Political World is social network getting young people involved in politics.

Help your young kids understand the political process.

And Channel One has started their election coverage.

Teen abortion rates have plummeted.

What to do if your teen is cutting.

As expected, older children are being dropped off at hospitals in Nebraska under their new safe haven law. One father dropped off all nine of his children from the age of 1 to 17.

Teach your tweens and teens self-discipline.

All kids from 6 months to 18 are encouraged to get flu shots this year.

Dr. Drew Pinsky has a new sex show on MTV; Sex…With Mom and Dad. In each episode Dr. Drew will help a teen and his or her parents work through their problems discussing sex, dating and relationships.

Banning soda in schools has had little effect on the amount of soda kids are drinking.

What do teens have to say about cyberbulling?

Here’s a shocker, Clay Aiken is gay. And so is Lindsay Lohan.

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Sunday Reading