11 to 14 Year Visit from Bright Futures Edited By Mark M Simonian MD

Your Growing and Changing Child
1. Discuss with your child how their body is changing
2. Encourage your child to brush their teeth twice a day and floss once a day and visit dentist twice a year
3. Serve healthy foods and try to eat together as a family
4. Encouarge at least an hour of vigorous excercise daily
5. Limit screen time with computer, TV, or video games to under 2 hours daily
6. Praise your child when he or she does something well
 

Healthy Choices
1. Help your child find fun and safe things to do
2. Make sure your child understands how you feel about alcohol and drug use; insure that your children can't get drugs or alcohol from your home
3. Talk about relationships, sex, and values
4. Make sure your child understands that they should not have sex at this age
5. If you feel you cannot discuss sex with them reach out to those knowledgeable who are knowledgeable and trustworthy
6. Use clear and consistent rules and discipline
7. Be a role model for healthy behvior

Feeling Happy
1. Encourage your child to think situations by themselves with your support
2. Encourage healthy ways to deal with stress
3. Spend regular time with your child
4. Be familiar with your child's friends and their families, and be aware of where they are and what they are doing to the best of your abilities
5. Stress importance of expressing their feelings and how to handle disputes
6. If you worry that you child is sad, depressed, nervous, irritable or angry we can help find the right resources to help the family through the problem

School and Friends
1. Check with your child's teach about grades and test plus make an effort to attend back to school and teacher cnferences
2. Talk with your child as he or she takes over more responsibility for their school work
3. Assit your child with organizing their time
4. Encourage reading
5. Help your child find other activities he or she likes
6. Help your child make more of her or his discisions as they grow older

Violence and Injuries
1. Everyone should be wearing seat belts in the car
2. Do not allow children to use an All-Terrain-Vehicle (ATV)
3. Make sure you child knows how to get help if they feel unsafe
4. Make sure to secure guns and ammunition
5. Help your child find nonviolent ways to handle fear or anger