ometimes, it seems as if teens and parents don't speak the same language. They say they'll be home "soon." They mean, "Sometime before tomorrow." You say, "Do your homework now." They hear, "Do it whenever".

Every time your teen reads, she's reading for a purpose. When she reads the sports page, her purpose is to see who won. If she is reading a mystery, her purpose is entertainment. Sometimes people read for information. Want to know how many calories are in the cereal? Read the box. Want to learn how to program the DVD player? Read the instruction manual.

When your teen is reading assignments, have him use a four-step process that will help him look for and understand key ideas:

1. Preview. Look over the assignment. Identify key ideas. Look at pictures. Read chapter headings and words in bold type.
2. Ask questions. Write questions he thinks may be answered. Turn to the end of the chapter and look for review questions.
3. Read. Now read the assignment carefully. As he finds answers to questions, he can check them off his list. If he has not found answers to all his questions, go back to reread.
4. Summarize. Restate, in his own words, what he has just read. If he can, he is finished. If he can't, he needs to go back through each of the steps again.

Reprinted with permission from the March 2010 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2010 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Rona Flippo, Texts and Tests: Teaching Study Skills Across Content Areas, ISBN: 0-325-00491-9 (Heinemann, www.heinemann.com).

When most parents think of peer pressure, they picture their babies cornered at parties, being offered drugs or alcohol. But that isn't always the case. There's positive peer pressure as well--such as when your teen's friends encourage her to join the soccer team or help mow the lawn for an elderly neighbor.

New research shows that both types of peer pressure--positive and negative--are beneficial to children's social development. Peer pressure teaches teens how to gauge other people's feelings and expectations--and how to weigh those against their own wants and needs.