What makes adolescents happy?

This is an interesting study commissioned by MTV, and done by Social Technologies. They interviewed sixty youth to start with, then increased it tremendously to 1200. The results aren't terribly surprising to those of us who work with students, but there was something of note that keeps coming up every time they do a study like this.

"As for today’s so-called helicopter parents, notorious for hovering protectively around their offspring in this generation, well, the respondents’ views of this parental behavior were the finding that most amazed the Social Technologies team.

“We thought the kids would really resent having their parents come in and make a fuss at school or on the playing field, but the youths didn’t feel as if that was an obstacle to their happiness,” Croft concludes. “Sure, it was a little embarrassing for them, but ultimately they said they appreciated that their parents are looking out for them. And if you think about it, that’s just good common sense." "

Once again, studies show that parents who are involved make a difference. There are many teens who will fight that involvement, but that doesn't mean they don't want it. Hang in there, parents. Pursue relationship with your teen, even if you're pushed away. Be there at their games. Watch what they're watching on tv. Check up on them to see where they're going on the internet. You aren't being nosy or invading their privacy. You're loving them.