Help in Channel 4 'Parents & Teens' series. Participants...Interested?

I've received an email from a Brighton based company wanting to find Parents and Teens who might be interested in taking part in a new channel 4 series. 

They would be dealing with the issues of drugs, sex and alcohol using expert advice, to help and encourage opening up discussions between Parents and Teens. 

Until you have Teens in the house, and I'm on number four now, you don't realise how even the simplest of conversations can spiral out of control and end up with nothing of any use being discussed, understood or resolved!

'Essentially we are looking for parents who might be worried about what their teen is getting up to, they want to talk to them about it but find it hard to know what to say. Or, teenagers who are experimenting and want to help their parents understand their point of view more.'

They're on a very tight deadline and are trying to find families to take part in the next week or so. I'm not personally taking part in it, but wanted to post it here, for any Bloggy Parents who feel they'd be interested in participating. If you are, and for more information please contact Sue Edwards directly, using her details below.

Sue Edwards

Assistant Producer

sue.edwards@ricochet.co.uk

01273 224800

*This NOT a sponsored post - I'm just sharing it for anyone who may be interested*

Are your Teens waiting?...Results day.

If you have teens of a certain age then you'll already know that tomorrow, Thursday 19th Aug is the day they all get their AS and A Level results. So at the moment there will be thousands of 17 and 18 year olds now wondering if they did enough.

I've already seen status updates on FB and Twitter, of friends of friends, teens, all worrying about picking up their little bits of paper with those magic letters on. I've resisted the urge to comment about how the time for worrying is long gone. It's done & dusted.

TD gets her AS Photography result tomorrow. 

Then she gets her 2 GCSE resit results next Thursday.

I really hope she gets the result she wants. But do you know what?

At the moment I honestly don't mind what result she gets. I hope she's done well, if not, does the world end? No. But of course, being a dramatic teenager, it probably does!!

TD is in the enviable position of already having a secured place in September, at a different college, on a completely different course, which is not reliant on her grades this year. So I suppose it would be fair to say that's why I can say that I don't mind, too much, what her results are.  But that wouldn't be the complete truth. As I've been writing this, I've thought long and hard about if the situation were different, would I feel differently?

We all want our children to achieve their best, we want them to succeed in whatever they choose and reach their full potential. And if they fail to gain the 'right' result in an exam it may well be devastating for some of them. Of course we don't want to see them disappointed and upset, as a mum when our children hurt we feel their pain, but things can be learned from all of our experiences. 

So, the answer is yes, in all honesty, I would feel differently. I would be upset for her, and I would hug her, commiserate with her and console her as best I could, as I have done the whole of her 17 years.
I also know, that after letting her lick her wounds, that I'd be able to help her understand that we can always take things from and learn from everything we do, including any of our failures...


If you're a parent awaiting tomorrows results along with your teens, I do wish them every success....and I would baton down the hatches, I've no doubt it will be a couple of bumpy days! 
Just saying....