The 12 most popular New Year's Resolutions according the the U.S. Government are:

    1. Drink Less Alcohol
    2. Get a Better Education
    3. Get a Better Job
    4..Get Fit
    5. Lose Weight
    6. Manage Debt
    7. Manage Stress
    8. Quit Smoking Now
    9. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
  10. Save Money
  11. Take a Trip
  12. Volunteer to Help Others

For help in actually going through with any of these resolutions, visit the USA.gov website and click the resolution you are interested in and you will be taken to a web page with ideas and resources to help you succeed. Good luck with your New Year's resolutions.

See also:   
Goal Charts for Parents, Teens and Tweens with GoalForIt
Roundup of Best of 2010 Lists, Articles, and Video

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Parents of teenagers should get a kick from these quotes about teens while nodding their heads. For those of you that have younger kids, hopefully these quotes won't scare you too much. If your kids have already grown out of their teens, you can look back and laugh (hopefully).

1. Adolescence is perhaps nature's way of preparing parents to welcome the empty nest.- Karen Savage and Patricia Adams, The Good Stepmother

2. The invention of the teenager was a mistake.  Once you identify a period of life in which people get to stay out late but don't have to pay taxes - naturally, no one wants to live any other way. - Judith Martin

3. Adolescence is a period of rapid changes.  Between the ages of 12 and 17, for example, a parent ages as much as 20 years. - Author Unknown

4. Little children, headache; big children, heartache. - Italian Proverb

5. Teenagehood -- that time in life when you show your individuality by looking like everyone else. - Author Unknown

6. The fellow parent you are scared to call is as appalled by the clique's plans as you are. . . . The other parent is as happy to hear from you as you would be to hear from him. - Fred G. Gosman, How To Be a Happy Parent In Spite of Your Children

7. It isn't easy to see the formerly loving child who once curled up in our laps turn into a surly stranger who cannot spare us a kind word. One mother ... was taken aback when she called, as her daughter was going out the door, "Have a good time," and her daughter angrily replied, "Stop telling me what to do! - Nancy Samalin, Love and Anger: The Parent Dilemma

8. Helping your eldest to pick a college is one of the greatest educational experiences of life - for the parents.  Next to trying to pick his bride, it's the best way to learn that your authority, if not entirely gone, is slipping fast. - Sally and James Reston

9. The young always have the same problem - how to rebel and conform at the same time.  They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another. - Quentin Crisp

10. Adolescence is the age at which children stop asking questions because they know all the answers. - Author Unknown

Do you have any favorite quotes about teenagers you'd like to share? If so, please add them in the comments below.

See also:  
12 Quotes About Moms for Mothers Day 
Quotes on Millennials and the Future of Privacy


 

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Below are my favorite posts on my Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology blog during 2010:

1. Video Games and Families - Learn and Connect with your Teens

2. Instill a Love of Reading in your Teens

3. 10 iPad Benefits

4. 12 Quotes about Moms for Mother's Day

5. Best Quotes Lost Finale The End

6, Game Design Programs for Teens Create Innovative Learning Experiences

7. Portugal the Man and Dr Dog - Music Picks by my Teen Son

8. Lost Finale Explained for the Casual Lost Fan

9. Interview with Candace Cameron of Full House and Make It Or Break It

10. Why Parents of Tweens Should Know About Crohn's Disease

11. 75 Classic Movies Teens Should See!

12. Nowhere Boy Review, John Lennon's Birthday and the Quarrymen Perform

13. 20 Best TV Shows For Parent Teen Bonding

14. Resources for Parents of Teenage Boys

15. Applying to Law School? - Think Twice

16. ABC News Video on Teens and Texting with JuJu Chang

17. Sigourney Weaver Interview on 'Prayers For Bobby'

Which was your favorite?

See also: 
My Favorite Connect with your Teens Posts of 2009
Interesting Connect with your Teens Posts from 2008 
Top 12 New Year's Resolutions
Top Best of 2011 Entertainment and Tech Lists

 

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Borders, one of my favorite bookstores, has put together some great Best of 2010 Reading lists. My favorite Borders reading list is the "Best Teen Novels (and Series) that Grownups Read" as these are the books that can help parents and teens connect and bring families closer together.

I also thought that you might be interested in the "Best Books for Kids" and another fun list, "Books We Can't Wait to See as Movies".


Best Teen Novels (and Series) that Grownups Read

The Twilight Series, by Stephenie Meyer
The Hunger Games Series, by Suzanne Collins
The Maze Runner & The Scorch Trials, by James Dasher
Crank/Burned/Tricks/Fallout/Identical, by Ellen Hopkins
The Mortal Instruments Series, by Cassandra Clare
The House of Night Series, by PC and Kristin Cast
Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
The Vampire Academy Series, by Richelle Mead


Best Books (and Series) for Kids

The Harry Potter Series, by JK Rowling
Wimpy Kid Series, by Jeff Kinney
Percy Jackson Series, by Rick Riordan
Out of My Mind, Sharon Draper
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
When you Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
Magic Tree House Series, by Mary Pope Osborne
Ivy & Bean Series, by Annie Barrows
The Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney
Of thee I Sing, by Barack Obama
 

Books We Can’t Wait to See as Movies

Water For Elephants, by Sara Gruen
A Game Of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
On The Road, by Jack Kerouac
The Lost City Of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, by David Grann


I can't wait to see the movie version of Water for Elephants? What about you?

See Also:
Goodnight iPad the Video of the Ann Droyd Book Parody
18 New YA Books for Teens in 2011
Best Books for Teens for Holiday Gifts 2011

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No matter what has happened in Michael Jackson's controversial short life, no one can deny the genius of his talent. Watching his music videos, or short films as Michael Jackson's VISION refers to them, reminds me of just how unique and gifted he was.

Michael Jackson's VISION includes a 2 DVD set of all 35 of his groundbreaking music videos, or short films, fully restored and remastered. A Bonus DVD of 7 additional music videos is also included, with the previously unreleased 'One More Chance'.

Watching Michael Jackson's videos can not be compared to any others. He revolutionized music videos and nobody ever caught up. Included are videos directed by movie directors John Landis, John Singleton, Spike Lee, David Fincher and Martin Scorsese. Families would come together to watch a Michael Jackson video.

I recently watched some of the older videos from Michael Jackson's Vision with my son and he had to admit that Michael Jackson was amazingly talented and that all the videos from the thriller album, made before he was born,  are phenomenal. I highly recommend Michael Jackson's VISION for not only Jackson's fans but for any fan of music videos.

See also:  Michael Jackson - I'll Remember the Early Years

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My favorite thing about the end of each year is reliving it through lists, pictures and videos. Here are Best of 2010 lists from 14 websites and a video that will remind you of everything that happened in 2010. Make sure you watch the Best Movie Moments video at the end.

AOL Radio Blog - 10 Best Songs of 2010 - At the end of the list you can click into top 10 lists for different categories of music.

TV.com - Best of 2010 - Best shows in 9 categories - new show. series finale, procedural, drama, comedy, animation, reality, reboot and variety.

PC World - Best Tech Products 2010 - Best 100 products of 2010.

NPR - Best Books of 2010 - 17 shorts lists - one from each of their critics.

Rolling Stone's Best of 2010 - Two big lists - 30 Best Albums and 50 Best Singles.

Esquire - The Best of 2010 - Best of News and Pop Culture 2010 slideshow

IGN - Best of 2010 - Video Game site chooses best of the year in these categories - Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, DS, PSP, Mobile, Free-to-Play, Movies, TV, Comics, and Gear.

Barnes & Noble - Best Books of 2010 - Best books are divided into Fiction, Non-Fiction, Kids, Teens and Overall. B&N also have lists for Best NOOkBooks, DVDs, Music, Toys & Games, Electronics and Video Games.

Yahoo - Top 10 Obsessions of 2010 - Also check out their Top 10 Searches and Questions of 2010.

People - Best of 2010 - Many lists in each of the following categories - Style, Entertainment, Names & News, and Love & Babies.

Kirkus Reviews - 2010 Best Books for Children and Teens - The list for children or teens can be read as a whole or by genre.

Paste Magazine - 25 Best Twitter Users of 2010 - With examples of many of their tweets.

POPSCI - Best 100 Innovations of the Year - Best of what was new in 2010.

Time - Top 10 Comebacks of 2010 - One of Time's 50 Top 10 lists.

Funny or Die - Best of 2010 Videos, Pictures and Articles

Filmography 2010 - Watch 2010's Best Movie Moments in 350 Seconds:



At this point you should be sick of 2010 and completely ready to face 2011.


See also:  
Top Best of 2011 Entertainment and Tech Lists
Top 10 2009: My Favorite Lists
Top 12 New Year's Resolutions

 

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Did you know that your local Apple Retail Store offers free workshops for families and Tweens? And these are not your run-of-the-mill boring workshops. They are more along the lines of learning how to compose a song using GarageBand or build a photo album.

In a recent special holiday themed youth workshop at an Apple Store in Palo Alto, tweens learned to play Silent Night on iPads using the Magic Fiddle app. This special workshop was given to students from the Community School of Music & Arts in San Francisco and was taught by Ge Wang, Cheif Creative Officer of Smule, developer of Magic Fiddle and other social music apps.

To find more about youth workshops and camps at your local Apple Store, select your local store online or visit it in person to check the calendar of events. There are also many workshops for adults also, both for business and fun.

See also: 
10 More iPhone Apps for Students  
22 iPad Apps for New iPad Owners

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Yesterday I had the good fortune to interview Sigourney Weaver. But the best part (as if interviewing Sigourney Weaver wasn't the best part) was that the topic of the interview was about something much more important than entertainment. Her Lifetime movie, Prayers for Bobby, which is now out on DVD, is a heartbreaking movie that teaches parents the importance of accepting their children for who they are.

Based on the bestselling book by Leroy Aarons, Sigourney Weaver, in her first made-for-TV movie and one of her finest roles ever, plays Mary Griffith, a deeply religious mother who cannot accept her teenage son's homosexuality and must then deal with the consequences.. She then makes the journey from devastating grief to becoming a champion of gay rights. The acting is superb. Prayers for Bobby is an extremely powerful must-see movie.

Sigourney Weaver interview

Sigourney said that she choose this part because it is a true story and she connected with it as the mother of a teenager. She read both the script and the book and thought that television was the perfect medium for Prayers for Bobby because it would be best watched by families together at home.

This was probably Sigourney's biggest acting challenge yet, mostly because she was playing a real person, and one that she thought was worlds apart from herself. After she met Mary and her family, she was very impressed by Mary's candor and the love the entire family have for Bobby. It took PFLAG (see below) for Mary to see that homosexuals weren't going to be punished with fire and brimstone.

Signourney feels that this movie should be seen by everyone (I totally agree). Parents have to realize how much their judgment can effect their teens. Love must be put before judgment. Parents must trust their children to make good choices.

Prayers for Bobby Awards

Here are just some of the many awards that Prayers for Bobby and Sigourney won or were nominated for when the movie first appeared on Lifetime (reviews were all phenomenal):

• Nominated For Two 2009 Primetime Emmy® Awards
• Winner for the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Award®
• Nominated for the 16th Annual SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS®
• Winner of the Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association Dorian Award®
• Nominated for 67th Annual Golden Globe® Awards

Prayers for Bobby DVD

The DVD for Prayers for Bobby offers many extras that will help viewers learn more about the movie and gay rights:

• Interviews with the Real-Life Mary Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, and other cast members
• Behind-the-Scenes with the Producers
• Meet the Stars
• Road to The GLAAD Awards
• Trevor Project PSA starring Daniel Radcliffe - The Trevor Project is an organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth.
• PFLAG PSA Starring Sigourney Weaver - PFLAG is an organization for parents, families and friends of Lesbians and Gays.

 Contest Giveaway

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I rarely do giveaways. However when Lifetime offered me the chance to give out 5 Prayers for Bobby Dvds, I didn't hesitate. Any way I can help spread this story around, the better.

Therefore, I'm going to make this contest easy. It will run from now, until Monday 12/20/2010 at midnight.
All you need do is add a comment that you want to watch this DVD below and you are entered. You can have a 2nd entry (2 entry max) by either tweeting or Facebook messaging this post, with comment, and then entering a 2nd comment below letting me know.

Plea

Please buy, rent or win this movie and share it with everyone you know. This is an extremely important movie and can have the power to change closed minds. There are teens out there that need help and even by sharing this blog post about Prayers for Bobby you can give it to them.


See also:  
Amanda Knox Lifetime Movie
Lifetime Movies Airs Tiffany Rubin Story - Dramatic Film and Documentary

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