Problem: Article: As they get older, give your teens an opportunity to take part in setting household rules. Doing so helps them develop maturity and improves cooperation between you. Set clear expectations about appropriate behavior, but give them a voice, too.  Have your children come up with a list of rules/privileges they think are fair. Create a list of your own items, too. Sit down and go over what each of you have written. For example, your teens may ask for a curfew of 9pm and a weekly allowance. You might request that they complete homework and chores daily by 7pm and make themselves available for a family game night each week. Negotiate with them to find terms on which you can all agree. If you’re a single parent, you may know how stressful it is to discuss hot topics with your teens. Subjects like sex, drugs, and bullying can feel awkward to talk about. But, if you don’t discuss them with your teens, you leave the door open for them to form opinions on their own.  Use scenes from teen-friendly TV shows or movies to bring up these topics. Explain your expectations and encourage your teens to use good judgment. Afterwards, keep the lines of communication open so that your teens understand you are willing to talk about difficult subjects. Help your teens become well-rounded and steer them away from negative influences by supporting their passions. Teens who are driven to perform in other areas outside of school are more likely to make good decisions and avoid trouble.  Help each of your teens find activities they enjoy, such as sports, music, or creative pursuits. You might do so by researching clubs or organizations at school and in the community that match your teens' interests and suggesting that they check them out. As much as your schedule allows, show up to important events and cheer them on. As a single parent, you know you cannot do every imaginable task on your own. Support your teen’s development by delegating some of the responsibility. This may translate to opening a checking account to help them learn to manage money, giving them more chores than younger children, or allowing them to work part-time. They will probably make mistakes, but giving them room to make independent decisions will help them grow up. Developing trust with your teens is also important as they get older. Unless they give you good reason to hover, take a step back and respect their privacy. Have faith that you have clearly communicated your expectations and raised your children well.  Avoid eavesdropping on conversations with friends, searching their rooms, or checking their phones. Only invade your teens’ privacy if you suspect something is wrong (like drug or alcohol use). Your teens learn how to behave by observing you. Be sure that your own actions align with what you preach to your children. Strive to be a good role model by demonstrating a good work ethic, being a compassionate and honest friend, and making healthy lifestyle choices.
Summary: Allow your teens a voice in some of the household rules. Maintain an open dialogue about the tough topics. Encourage them to pursue their passions. Give them responsibility. Respect their privacy. Set a good example.

Problem: Article: The precise amount in the can makes all the difference to its balancing ability. This amount isn’t precise (not without a heaping helping of math), so you will have to adjust as necessary. You want to tip the soda so that it rests on the groove that encircles the bottom of the can. Take care, as the movement of the liquid will cause the balance of the can to teeter until the liquid comes to rest.  You’re looking to reach the center of balance between the can and liquid inside. On most soda cans the amount of liquid required will be the same, but this can depend on the size of the can. Keep trying until you get the feel for the tilt and the balance. Work slowly! Move too hastily and you will spill the soda everywhere. Keep your hands close to the can on your first tries so you won't spill it everywhere. If the can will not balance, you may have to drain additional liquid from the can, or even add more liquid. Lean the can "backwards", away from the opening you drink out of.  That way, if it does fall over, you can pick it up again before much spills out. Once you have mastered balancing the can at a 45 degree angle, try giving it a gentle push.  It will slowly roll around on its edge and look even more astounding. Behold the power of science!
Summary: Empty out one half to one third of a soda can. Tilt the can at a 45 degree angle. Observe and adjust. Give the can a little push.

Problem: Article: Some of the ways people personalize diaries are:  Adding scraps, like movie ticket stubs, receipts, flower petals, etc. Gluing in photographs Making sketches and drawings Writing poems Choosing a quotation or a goal of the day You could include your name, your age, your best friend, your occupation or school grade, and a few of your hobbies and favorite things.  Sometimes people include a "reward if found" note, just in case it gets lost. Write your entry as if you were talking to your best friend, or even to yourself, with enough detail to remind you what was going on at that time.  Remember that things may be different in the future. Pretend it is a real person, not a non-living object. This one day may become your best friend! People forget things they think they will always remember, and these everyday things will be very meaningful to you later.  Try to write positive in there too. Being positive can help you in the darkest of times. If you do skip a day, days, or even weeks, don't worry about it. Just start in again from the current day.  Obsessively trying to catch up with all your past events is the quickest way to lose interest a diary. If you're still remembering something weeks later that you didn't write about, it will come up again in your mind later and you can write about it then. Don't worry if you skip a day, week, or even a month. No one's keeping score. But do this when you are in an accepting mood of yourself! It does not help to be mean and judge your former self and then throw away your diary in disgust. Be nice to yourself and treat your old diaries like letters from your former self to your present self. More importantly, see how much you have grown and learned from your experiences. At the end of the day, that is the true beauty of a diary, of your own personal and emotional growth as you strive to better yourself every day. . It's a personal diary so it needs to be safe! A hollow book is a good place to hide a diary. You can also hide your diary in other places like between the mattress and the bed frame, stuck up under a table/chair, in a video case, in a shoe packet, or in your jacket.
Summary:
Make sure your diary reflects your personality. Write in some basic information about yourself on the first page. Start your first entry by labeling the top with the weekday and date, the time, and possibly where you were when writing that entry. Don't be afraid to even give your diary a name. Write your frustrations and celebrations, but also write everyday things about your schedule, your friends, and the things you like to do. Start again if you have a break from writing. Read your old entries every so often and see what you think now in comparison to then. Make sure you hide it too