White House holding conference on raising teens

May 2, 2000
Web posted at: 9:15 a.m. EDT (1315 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday will host experts from around the country for a White House conference on raising responsible teen-agers.

"Ask any teen, growing up today feels tougher than ever ... and if it's tough to be a teen these days, it's even tougher to be a parent," Mrs. Clinton wrote in a Newsweek magazine article previewing the conference.

"Studies are showing that for all their protest and swagger, teen-agers need and want the everyday love, involvement and discipline of their parents," Mrs. Clinton said. "Sometimes even modest efforts to reach out to your teen-ager can make a tremendous difference."

The conference will bring together scientists, psychologists, doctors, school officials and parents to talk about how to raise teens.

The goal is to give both parents and teens "some of the tools they need to succeed," said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart.

CNN Medical Correspondent Eileen O'Connor reports that those attending the meeting will discuss the risks and challenges facing teens and parents. Some experts say that while it appears teens want to pull away, they actually want more time with their parents.

"In a study that I just did, I found that it was older children, not younger children, who felt that they didn't have enough time with their parents," Ellen Galinsky, president of The Families and Work Institute, told CNN.

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One teen who will attend the conference with his father told CNN on Tuesday that what teens need most is guidance.

"As my father has guided me, I think he's put me on the right path," said 17-year-old Edwin Speaker. He said he developed a close bond with his father, Edd Speaker, by participating in activities together.

"You just establish a bond by communicating with your child and convincing them that it's OK to tell you about different things," said Edd Speaker.

Edwin Speaker, 17, right, who will attend the conference with his father, says he developed a close relationship with his dad

The conference will examine ways that communities and employers can help parents find more time to spend with their children. For example, O'Connor reports that the head of a YMCA in Dallas will discuss innovative programs to get teens and parents to exercise together.

Mrs. Clinton will moderate two morning sessions, including one on what parents and communities can do to help teens succeed. Afternoon panel discussions will include the media's impact on youth and parenting and what parents, communities and young people can do to avoid risky behavior.

"Adults usually do not listen to young people, and they don't make it their business to help them implement their goals," said panelist Dorothy Stoneman, founder of the Boston-based YouthBuild USA, which teaches low-income young people construction skills by building affordable housing in their communities.

"What happens when you listen, young people get engaged and connected, and they feel better about themselves," Stoneman said.

The conference also will highlight recent brain research indicating that the preteen years are as important in setting patterns for adult behavior as the first three years of life.

Scientists had believed that brain development slowed after the first few years of life and that the brain was essentially organized by the time a child enters the first grade. The research, first published late last year and then in the March issue of the journal Nature, showed that in teen-agers up to age 15, there are peak growth rates in areas of the brain associated with language and associative thinking.

"Sometimes we give up on kids early and feel that they are already doomed for certain fates, but from the biological perspective there are still lots and lots of opportunities for change during the teen years," said Dr. Jay Giedd, a National Institute of Mental Health child psychiatrist who worked on the research.

CNN Medical Correspondent Eileen O'Connor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.