Top Words Used By Teenagers

Posted on: 04/30/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

What’s the most common word or phrase  you hear teenagers say? I want to know. (Use my comment feature and share your opinion.)

I ask because my friend Vicki called me the other day and asked me, “What is the one most common word or phrase teenagers say today?” Our online slang dictionary doesn’t sort by popularity.

My first hunch was to tell her, “I know, right?” No seriously… that’s the phrase I hear most teenagers say across the US today. They don’t realize they say it, but they say it.

“American Idol sucks this year.”

“I know, right?”

It’s a simple little phrase that I probably even said when I was a kid, but it’s come back with a new fervor. (“Fervor”? Really? Teens definitely aren’t saying fervor.)

But that’s not the phrase I gave her Continue reading “Top Words Used By Teenagers”

Posted in Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

Teenage Digital Devices

Posted on: 04/29/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“It’s crucial to get to know them now in order to better understand who they’ll be tomorrow.” –The Teen Transition, Nielsen, 4/16/2013

I start the majority of my workshops with a youth culture quiz. I ask parents and youth workers, “Do you know today’s teenagers? Are you familiar with their culture, attitudes, habits and trends.”

But keeping up with today’s teen is no easy task, because the only constant is change… especially in the area of technology.

Take smartphone ownership, for example Continue reading “Teenage Digital Devices”

A Week Off

Posted on: 04/25/13 12:03 PM | by Jonathan McKee

I just spent a week hanging out with my bride on vacation. We used some airline miles and hotel points and went to a tropical escape (a pic I took yesterday) for 6 nights… and wow! It was so nice just having “us” time.

(This is rather ironic… as I’m writing this, here in my hotel just 30 minutes before we leave for the airport, my wife is now tugging at my shirt, saying, “Come hang with me.” So I’m neglecting her for 5 minutes to write to you about how important she is. This will be a quick post.)

We spent 7 days Continue reading “A Week Off”

Posted in Marriage, Personal, Travel |  | Leave A Comment

You Must Rest

Posted on: 04/18/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Tonight I leave for a week long vacation with my bride. You won’t be hearing from me for a week!

I’m so looking forward to this break. As I’ve grown older (and hopefully a little wiser), I’ve learned I have to go away on a vacation. If I don’t go away… I work!

Do not worship other Gods
Do not worship idols
Do not steal

Check, check, check…

Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy

Hmmmm… uh… does that mean the whole day?

It’s funny, but sometimes the commandment I have the most trouble keeping is the one that tells me Continue reading “You Must Rest”

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800 Youth Leaders

Posted on: 04/17/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Last weekend was a lot of fun for multiple reasons… but one of the big ones was my time hanging with over 800 youth workers at the YS Palooza event I taught at in Philly on Saturday. Allow me a minute to brag about Youth Specialties (YS) real quick.

I don’t work for YS. I speak at a lot of their conferences, and have written a handful of books published by them… but I’m just a “hired gun,” so to speak. As a guy who speaks at a lot of different conferences and events, I have to commend YS for the amazing job they are doing helping the front line youth worker.

Take last Saturday for example. At this event they brought in Continue reading “800 Youth Leaders”

18 Years Old

Posted on: 04/14/13 5:36 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Taught a parenting workshop today in Philly, getting ready to teach another one tomorrow (Monday) night at a church in Jersey. One of my favorite elements of teaching these workshops is talking with parents afterwards, trying my best to answer their questions, and hearing their stories.

I’ll share one story I heard that I found humorous.

A mother of several teenagers had an interesting experience the night before the workshop. A group of teenagers came over to the house, and two of them were intoxicated. They weren’t fit to drive and were most likely going to Continue reading “18 Years Old”

Win Movie Passes to the movie 42

Posted on: 04/11/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Baseball fans, movie buffs… people who like free stuff… I’ve got a fun little contest for you with some really cool prizes. It doesn’t get any simpler than this.

The new film, 42, which hits theaters this Friday, April 12, tells the story of American hero Jackie Robinson who broke the MLB’s color barrier in 1947. Every April, players from all MLB teams don the number 42 jersey to commemorate and celebrate “Jackie Robinson Day.”

I’m giving my blog readers an opportunity to win FREE movie passes to 42 Continue reading “Win Movie Passes to the movie 42”

Posted in Movies |  | Leave A Comment

Ashley’s Rules for Parents

Posted on: 04/9/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

The blogosphere is currently bursting at the seams with insightful posts and articles from parenting authors providing helpful social media rules and guidelines for their teens and tweens, everything from iPhone rules, Instagram guidelines, to general social media parenting advice how to monitor your teenagers online activity (in a world where Facebook is just one of many choices).

I’ve been using some of these articles as discussion-springboards with my daughters. After all, the one common denominator almost all this research shares is the advice to parents to regularly dialogue about this with their kids.

Ashley (my 15-year-old), of course, is all “sighs” during these conversations. If I bring up social media, she rolls her eyes, exhales loudly, and proclaims, “Dad, have you ever had any problem with me and this stuff? No. Then relax!”

If I only had a dime for every time my daughter told me to relax.

Yesterday, after asking Ashley a little about Instragram and showing her an article with parental guidelines, she sighed, rolled her eyes, and informed me that its parents who really need a list of rules for social media Continue reading “Ashley’s Rules for Parents”

Tickets for Two in Southern CA

Posted on: 04/8/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

This May will be the second year I’ll be speaking at the FAM Conference May 16-18th with my friends Doug Fields and Jim Burns at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California. I’ve got an exclusive discount for all of you and two FREE registrations to this amazing 3-day event! (WINNER POSTED BELOW)

I’m thrilled to be a part of this innovative conference again this year. I’ll be teaching the parenting track, and Doug and I will actually be releasing our brand new workbook helping parents set realistic rules and boundaries in the home, Should I Just SMASH My Kid’s Phone! I’ll also be teaching a brand new workshop on the same subject as one of the Super Seminars.

The conference offers something for everyone Continue reading “Tickets for Two in Southern CA”

Americans Connected 2:38 Minutes a Day to Mobile Devices

Posted on: 04/5/13 4:14 AM | by Jonathan McKee

With the rise in mobile phone and app use, we’ve been seeing a bunch of numbers floating around lately about how much time Americans are actually spending connected to these mobile devices. Well, Flurry just came out with a brand new report measuring the activity of more than 1 billion mobile IOS and Android devices per month. The findings are intriguing Continue reading “Americans Connected 2:38 Minutes a Day to Mobile Devices”