Teens
5 Sweet sixteen party ideas
Your teen’s sweet sixteen is finally here! How exciting that your teen will get to celebrate such an awesome milestone in a unique setting with our list of party ideas.
Show your creative side and surprise your child with a well thought out, original party that will earn him bragging rights for months to come. Consult our list and pick a party that will have everyone in awe and having fun while your teen takes their place as the start of the show.
Reality star party
Is your teen a fan of Kylie Jenner or the Kardashians? Have a reality star party where all the guests dress up as their favourite Kardashian. Go one step further and have a red carpet laid out complete with cameras and a videographer. Set up a photobooth where guests can have fun creating their own memories.
Camp party
Book a camping spot in Magaliesberg and take your teen and their friends camping. They can have marshmallows by a bon fire and a braai for breakfast. Hiking, bird watching and swimming are some of the outdoor activities they can do all weekend.
Hint hunt party
At this party, guests will divide themselves in two groups and work through finding hunts to get a treasure. This is a great way for teens to bond and work on their problem solving skills. Make it even more exciting by awarding the winning team a prize and treating everyone to dinner and drinks afterwards.
Murder mystery dinner party
Attend a murder solving mystery with costumes at a theater. You can plan your own murder mystery party by purchasing a kit online and assigning roles to guests or you can hire professional murder mystery companies to create a game for your party and hire actors to participate.
Zipline party
Make it an adrenaline filled one by taking a drive out to Mpumalanga or Kwa Zulu-Natal which has some of the best zipline routes in South Africa. Take pics at every stop on the zipline and celebrate each milestone as everyone completes the tour.
A ‘wavy’guide to teen lingo and slang
Ever wondered what your teen and her friends meant when they chat about spilling all the tea?
Or maybe you’ve over-heard your son cancel someone and TBH it just irked you that you didn’t quite understand how a person could be cancelled?
Well you won’t have to wonder much longer because our up to date and relevant guide of words that teens use will have you up to speed in no time.
Consult our guide whenever you hear one of these words used by the younger generation and even get classified as a cool parent when you incorporate them into your vocabulary. Just make a note that some of them may be offensive and you may even want to have a word with your teen about using that type of slang.
The rest of the lingo is quite colourful and expressive and may score you brownie points, especially if used correctly and in the right context. If the slang is too cool for you, it may come in handy in watching or listening to the latest entertainment as some TV shows and songs feature the words. Eitherway, it definitely doesn’t hurt to be in the know!
Teen slang guide
Bruh – This is a shortened way of saying ‘I know right.’
Wavy – This means super cool. So in a sentence one would say ‘Those sneakers are wavy.’
Lit – Put simply this means hot or awesome. It is usually used to describe fun situations like a party. So in describing a party, your teen would say ‘that party was lit.’
TBH – This is an abbreviation for ‘To Be Honest.’
Squad – This refers to a group of close friends.
Snack – This is a sexual term which refers to a good looking woman.
Fam – Usually used to refer to friends.
Goat – When describing someone who has accomplished a major feat, the word Goat would be used to describe them. It is short for Greatest of All Time.
Shade – When ‘throwing shade’ anyone using this word would mean that a veiled reference usually negative has been made about someone.
Salty – Bitterness or resentment.
Bae – Another way to refer to a lover or significant other.
DM – Direct message.
Thirsty – A term with a sexual connotation of how someone is seeking the attention of the opposite sex.
Cancel – To eliminate or stop associating with someone or something.
Finesse – To do something well.
Watch teen vlogger Olivia Jade hilariously quiz her mom on teen slang
Five movies that will inspire your teen
Movies have the powerful ability to influence the attitudes and mind sets of those watching. A creative art form, movies are a great form of entertainment which parents have often used to keep their children busy and preoccupied.
For teens, they can be used to inspire and to propel them their life and career choices. We bring you a crop of great movies which have motivational lessons behind them.
I am Sam
This movie tells a compelling story of a father with downs syndrome, played by Sean Penn who fights to have his daughter in his life. He cares for her with the help of friends and maintains a job at a coffee shop to support her. Filled with emotional moments, the movie builds on character and strength and outlines how important family is. It also raises awareness of mental disorders and is a fascinating way to educate teens about these disorders.
Sarafina
A South African classic, Sarafina chronicles the lives of students protesting against Apartheid and Bantu education the eighties. Played by Letti Khumalo, the movie is a powerful depiction of an unjust society and how students have a role to play in changing their lives. There are strong themes of survival, focus and purpose in this movie.
Lion King
Considered one of the greatest animated films, Lion King looks at how fighting for survival and never giving up will take you where you want to go in life. It’s a simple feel good movie with a highlight on pursuing your passion, cultivating ambition and having tenacity to see your dreams realised whatever it takes.
Remember The Titans
Remember The Titans is based on a true story about a high school football team at a newly racially integrated high school in the early 1970s. It tackles adversity, overcoming it and explores how friendship can help conquer life’s everyday challenges.
Hidden Figures
This movie tells the story of how a group of educated black women worked for NASA during America’s racial segregation period. All engineers and mathematicians, the women changed the face of NASA by working on complex calculations and solving scientific equations that enabled astronauts to orbit the earth. Highly inspiring, this movie looks at how women and people of colour can put excellence at the forefront in their everyday lives and stand out based on their education and skills.
Moments of your teen that you must record!
When your teen was a baby, there were dozens of pics and special moments captured of their first walk, growing teeth and adorable milestones.
The photo album has probably gotten fuller with more additions of remarkable memories taken throughout their childhood.
It shouldn’t end there as their teenage years also have some super thrilling moments which you can not only take images of but record on video.
When your teen is awarded at a prize giving ceremony
If your teen is gifted and gets awards at school for their performance in various subjects then that is a moment which should be captured. They might feel shy that they are being filmed but years from now, it will be a proud moment for them to share with their kids and family.
When your teen gets a driver’s license
If your teen is lucky enough to have started driving lessons by the age of 16 and is ready to get a driver’s license then that moment is worthy of being recorded. It’s a coming of age moment which means your teen is taking on more adult responsibilities.
When your teen excels at sports and cultural events
You might have a poet or public speaker on your hands who gets invited to speech contests or your teen could be a really talented sportsman and wins games with their team often. Recording those moments could help your teen improve their craft.
When your teen attends their matric dance
This unique day takes months of planning. Sometimes images are not enough to capture the euphoria and excitement that matriculants feel when they attend their matric dance. So capture this moment on video and they’ll forever appreciate being able to watch that special day over and over.
When your teen gets their matric results
This particular moment is one that your teen will remember forever. Opening the newspaper and finding their name in it is a surreal moment, one that is deserving of being recorded and saved for future get-togethers where everyone can tease your teen about how anxious and nervous they were.
What to do if your teen is being cyber-bullied
Many teens have experienced cyber-bullying, where they are threatened, excluded and made to feel uncomfortable online and in the presence of their friends or peers at school.
Parents can take charge of the situation by following the tips below which have been provided by the Cyberbullying organisation.
- Listen to your child and make sure that they feel safe. Cyberbullying.org advises parents to sit down with their children and hear them out, so that they feel protected and are in a safe environment where they can speak out without fear.
- Where there is evidence, be it in the form of texts, posts on social media or groups that have been formed to discuss your child, keep screenshots and evidence of this to present to the relevant authorities.
- Set-up a meeting to discuss what has happened with the school. They should be able to advise on their disciplinary policies to ensure that the bully is brought to book.
- Therapy should be sought if your child is traumatised by the incident. In most cases, it is advised to do so that your child can move on and progress in their academic and personal life.
- If any threats were made, the police should be contacted to ensure that yoir child’s safety is prioritised.
Watch the ten forms of cyberbullying below
Your teen and a gap year, why it doesn’t have to be a challenge
Your teen wants to take a gap year but that doesn’t sound normal to you. You imagine a year spent partying, socialising, travelling and perhaps some lazying around without anything productive being done.
Before you let your imagination run away with you and you completely eliminate the idea of your teen going away for a year, it’s essential to clear up any misconceptions about what a gap year actually is.
It is a year where your teen signs up for a program for a fee, usually hosted by an agency which deals exclusively in creating itineraries based on cultural experiences in different countries for young adults.
The agency would take care of travel arrangements, accommodation, food, transport and activities related to building character, exposure to international life and the culture of the respective countries.
Programs do take place in a fun context, so for example sailing through South America but there would be a strong sense of learning as rural communities would be visited and exposure to these communities way of live observed.
Help would also be provided as often gap year programs have activities lined up on how they can improve the life of the villages they visit and the people they come into contact with. So fundraising would also play a big role and teens would learn how to raise money, budget and distribute this to those in need.
For teens, a gap year would provide a breather before they head into university life and prepare them for the intense training that they will receive there. Culture is the buzzword within gap year programs and getting immersed into a different culture is a major advantage which will also leads to learning a new language, networking and gaining perspective.
While it has been said that gap years delay the inevitable and can be a waste of time, it does give teens the time to figure out what they want to study, which career they would like to pursue and what they want to do with their lives.
It’s also a great way for teens to find themselves, to realise who they are, what their interests are and they get challenged by surviving in another country which is an accomplishment once done.
More reasons why gap years can be good for your teen’s self-development
- Teens can boost their job prospects, especially if they are looking to get back home and work part-time or if they want to start a job
- Self-improvement as staying abroad develops survival skills and life skills
- Lasting friendships are made on gap year programs
- Indulge in adventure – this is a fun way to explore the world, make memories and take amazing pictures.
Five exciting gap year programs
- Experience a culture and spiritual journey in the home of Mount Everest
- Visit North, West and East Africa by working with local communities in rural villages in Ghana, Morrocco and Tanzania
- Explore Costa Rica’s biodiversity and the effects of human activities on local ecosystems
- Sail from Cuba to Canada for a year
https://www.ocean-passages.org/
- Find yourself in the United States and go on a journey of self-realisation with a mentor who can help you on your life’s purpose
Pregnancy
Natural remedies for morning sickness
Nothing can dampen the excitement of pregnancy like morning sickness.
The name, however, is very misleading as morning sickness can happen at any time during the day or night. It is most common during the first trimester, but for some women morning sickness lingers throughout pregnancy.
Infancy 0-2
What you need to know about caesareans
A Caesarean section (C/S) is performed when natural birth is impossible or unsafe.
The operation may be performed before labour begins, if there are medical reasons for not going through labour and natural birth, or if the health of the mother or baby may be in danger.
Toddlers 2-6
What you need to know about SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old.
SIDS is sometimes known as crib death because the infants often die in their cribs
Tweens 7-12
Dealing with temper tantrums
Remember when you went shopping and your child eyed a toy they wanted but you had no intention of buying it?
Funny Videos
Video Blog
Here we have the funniest, cutest and most adorable videos of children doing the most funny things you could ever think of!
