Like their parents, teens can be mislead by myths about the other generation. Jay McGraw, author of Closing the Gap: A Strategy for Bringing Parents and Teens Together, points out some of the untruths teens believe about their parents:

Myth #1 — Parents don’t want their kids to have any fun.
Parents are all for teens having fun, they just prefer that it be safe fun. Kids who understand this look for parent-approved ways to have fun. (It is possible!)

Myth #2 — Parents are only interested in what their kids can do for them.
Not so! It’s not unreasonable for parents to expect kids to help around the house. After all, they’re part of the family and will someday run their own households.

Myth #3 — Parents don’t know what it’s like to be a teenager.
Parents remember their teen years … that’s why they work so hard to help them through yours. But the only way they can really understand what their own teenager is going through is if there is open and honest communication between them.

Myth #4 — Parents control their teen’s every move.
While parents can exercise control over money, cell phones and cars, they are not the ones who make the minute-by-minute decisions by which teens live their lives.

Myth #5 — Parents don’t want their kids to grow up.
From the day they bring a child home from the hospital, parents want nothing more than to help him grow up healthy and happy. If the issue is “my parents don’t treat me like a grown up,” it’s because teens are not grown up — and sometimes they’re anything but mature…

Myth #6 — Parents never forget their kids’ mistakes.
Parents know and expect that their kid will screw up. They deal with it and move on. What they hope is that their teen learned something from the mistake — until they do, it may come up again.

Myth #7 — Parents do not respect their kids’ opinions.
Most parents are very interested in what their kids have to say. How they receive it, however, may depend less on what’s said and more on how it’s delivered.

Recognizing these subtle differences may help parents and teens open the lines of communication and show more respect for one another. The result? A happy household.

To see an alternative viewpoint, check out the previous post 5 myths parents have about their teens.

I’ve thought about Connor and Isabella Cruise a lot over the last several months. Maybe because it seems like no one else seems to think about them at all.

People can’t stop talking about or taking pictures of or mooning over their two-year-old half-sister as well as the highly-anticipated arrival of another half-sibling in the next few months. Even their parents seem to act like these new children in their lives have made Dad and Step-mom and Mom and Step-dad happier than they’ve ever been.

Hmmm.

I used to see this a lot when I was a seventh-grade teacher. Many of my students were from round one of their parents’ lives and round two–according to many of the young adolescents–often didn’t leave much room for them. I think that new siblings with new spouses or partners can lead to this feeling more often than parents realize. Sometimes it seems that children from the previous relationship just don’t count as much-like an out with the old, in with the new type of thing…at least in the eyes of a child or from an outsider’s point of view.

I don’t remember seeing pictures of a four-tiered cake from Connor’s second birthday party or hearing of Isabella’s magical qualities. I’m sure their parents love all of their children equally but it seems like they have a strange way of showing it at times.

Stage parents are back in a big, bad way.

First, on American Idol, reports continue to surface about David Archuleta’s father being way over the top. Archuleta, who seems to be a fan favorite-especially with young viewers-has his father with him in Hollywood since he’s still a minor. Some sources have claimed that Daddy Archuleta is overbearing and very hard on David-reducing him to tears on different occasions. Last week, it sounded like Simon Cowell took a swipe at David’s dad by insinuating that the song David sang couldn’t have possibly been chosen by David…meaning Daddy Dearest may have been behind the bad song selection.

But the parents on the VH1 reality show I Know My Kid’s A Star might take the case for scary stage parents. And when you watch them push and berate and ridicule their own children, you, of course, wonder who exactly wants to be the star…the parent or the child.

Unfortunately, these parents aren’t only on reality shows and they aren’t only the parents of kids in show business. Look around…I’m sure you see them pushing kids too far on the sports field-in the classroom-at dance recitals-at the swimming pool-the list goes on. My question is…is it ever someone else’s place to step in and stop these parents?