I am 22 and I love talking to parents and teens.

HOORAY! Finally, parenting advice from the kid’s perspective! It’s usually impossible to get more than one-word-answers from us, but I try to be honest about real issues that teens and pre-teens are dealing with, so parents can actually understand us (well at least a small part of our world)…and we can finally develop better relationships.

As much as I LOVE my freedom, I know that adolescents are often two steps ahead of parental controls and because of this, watched many of my friends make really, really bad decisions. So, I have decided to break open the door to our SECRET, terribly complex world and let you in. Ok, I am exaggerating just a tad, but I do truly believe that *if we help each other stay informed, we can stay safe, supported and become happier adults.*

To do this, I wrote a book when I was 17, called “You’re Grounded!” As a senior in High School, I conducted hundreds of interviews to write “You’re Grounded!” as a practical, succinct and realistic guide for both parents and teenagers to read simultaneously. The book not only gives parents and teens strategies to develop their relationship, but also helps them with issues in their individual everyday lives such as cliques, bullying, managing the household chores and finding positive extracurricular activities.

As an author, entrepreneur and life trainer for teens, I have dedicated my life to helping parents and teenagers mend their relationships. After witnessing many of my friends from high school and college ruin their lives with drugs and alcohol, I learned that most of their anger stemmed from poor relationships with their parents. I believe that by helping bridge the communication gap and providing safer activities for teens, generation Y will grow up to be happier and healthier adults.

My Mission Statement: To improve parent-teen relationships by providing them with new perspectives, stories and neutral places to communicate. This will help families instill values and build strong relationships that promote healthy attitudes and lifestyle behaviors in this generation of young adults. To provide positive role models for young people.

Through the popularity of my book, I run a parenting blog from a teen's perspective as an expose into our world. Check it out!

http://www.VanessaVanPetten.com

Dream big, work hard and you will get there,
Vanessa