Yesterday, I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop, listening to the political dialoging that was going on. Usually, I just listen. But yesterday, I was thinking about what I wanted to write about today on teen parenting so I got involved. Because I live in San Francisco the conversation is always about agreement on how amazing President Obama is and how President Bush destroyed the country.

I was reading earlier in the day, Attorney General Eric Holder pardoned those men, who were carrying sticks outside the polling booths in Philadelphia during the elections, threatening people to vote for Obama and were caught on tape saying “this is the end for all you crackers”. These men were already arraigned and didn’t show up for court. All the justice department had to do was sentence them. AG Holder, however, pardoned them. It was the first time on record something like this has ever been done by the AGs office.

I questioned one of the guys in the coffee shop if he thought Pres. Obama was doing a great job. He, of course, said yes. I told him about the above news. He said he hadn’t heard. I asked him if it was true what happened would that make him question his faith in the president. He said, he really doesn’t care about that, and then remarked “Look at what Bush did”. I couldn’t leave it alone, at this point, so I asked him “Are facts not important to you when deciding whether you believe the president is doing well”? He responded that he didn’t have to listen to that crap.

Teen parenting and critical thinking is the subject of this blog. As our country is going through, what I think, is a crisis of the heart and mind, I want to share some important insights that can greatly affect whether your teen parenting journey leads to success or failure.

Henry Ford once wrote, “Thinking is the hardest thing man can do. That’s why so few people take part in it”. I think these words have never been more relevant than they are today. In your teen parenting journey, you will find that you only have so many things to offer your teens and not a lot of time to do it.

Besides creating a loving nurturing environment that is driven by ethics, integrity and compassion, teaching them to use their brains to think critically may be the most important gift a parent can give their children.

Please read teen parenting and critical thinking part 2 for some suggestions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bocknek

The Problem Solving Expert for Parents and Families

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Dr. Robert Bocknek is the problem solving expert for marriage, parents and families at www.takebackthehome.com and www.keyboard-culture-parenting.com.  He can be reached at bocknek@takebackthehome.com. He is author of the “Take Back the Home course” and the “Learning how to Learn course” which can be seen at www.takebackthehome.com.

     

More on Topics: Critical Thinking, Family, Teen Parenting, Teenage Parenting, Teens

Tags: Critical Thinking, Family, Teen Parenting, Teenage Parenting, Teens

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