I’m am not the least concerned with swine flu..There are more day to day things to worry about..

As for the drinking article. While there are some idosynchrasies to which children in which homes will end up drinking, it only makes sense that by and large kids live what they see and hear and are exposed to regularly. Yet I do believe that in this day and age when we live in a world that parents allow and encourage kids/youth to drink coffee, alcohol it will take the village (i.e. concerned community/nation) to play a part through laws, policy etc. to help get kids to adulthood before they take their first drink and then as an adult decide if they want to be drinkers. But that is a dream, I am sure.

Right on to the author of stress in kids lives and ten ways to help them destress. She hits it on the head everytime.

As for the college kids: kids who have been raised to think for themselves will solve most of those issues on their own. And as for communication, such a myriad array of choices: land line, cell phone, email, texting, twittering, facebooking, and old fashioned letters (ha, I doubt it! not with this generation). Checking in once a week at the minimum is what we find comfortable, not something we set up formally, but the kids have always wanted to in one way or another “check in” usually 3-4 times a week.

Great list of topics, Theresa!
(I’ve been out of the loop for a while as I finished up nursing school, passed the licensing test, started my orientation and job and am still going through that for a while)

Also, the article said to “rent” textbooks. Sorry, that doesn’t fly. The rental fees they were quoting were somewhat cheaper, but not that much cheaper than buying the book used. And, if it’s a book in your major, you probably want to keep it, anyway.

And that idea of not buying a printer!! Even though many papers are turned in on-line these days, I think it totally disregards the reality that some papers aren’t finished until 2 AM, and assumes the library or the computer center is open 24/7. I’m supposed to send my daughter half-way across campus at 2 AM to print off a paper? Hello? Or she should wait until the VERY last second, before her 8 AM class, go to the library, and cross her fingers and hope that the computers there are up and working? Printers are super cheap, and if you shop carefully, the ink and toner prices can be kept reasonable. And yeah, we talked about budgeting time, but let’s face it — these things WILL happen.

I didn’t see any conversations about personal finance, either, except for “this is how much you have,” without a detailed discussion of needs, wants, and resources. I would have also included life skills such as making sure they could do laundry, balance their checkbook, etc. — all things that parents should be doing in high school, but often don’t get around to.

The swine ‘flu stuff — eh. Either we’ll get it or we won’t, and I’m sure not going to feel like some sort of moral failure if someone in my family gets it. I made sure that both of my kids know where the Student Health Services offices are, admonished them to wash their hands — beyond that, I”m not to spend any time worrying about something that is totally out of my control.