How can I help my child handle peer pressure? How can I prepare my child to make the right decisions about dating, sex, alcohol and drugs? As girls and boys become teens, they may act like they don’t listen to their parents. But they still need your support to deal with the pressures of growing up. Listen to the stories below to learn how you can best guide your children to make healthy and safe decisions.
Tanika feels self-conscious and embarassed that she can no longer fit in her clothes because of the size of her breasts. How can her mother Simone help Tanika embrace her newly changing body?
Being teased by his friends about his shorter height makes Carlito depressed. Carlito's father Roberto tries to boost his son's confidence.
Christine is worried about the poor grades her son Eric received on his latest report card. Listen to the advice her friend Roberto shares about how to handle the situation.
Eric and his friends come home from a baseball game with some major body odor. How can Eric's mom Christine talk to her son and his friends about puberty and personal hygiene without embarrassing them?
Sean confides in his friend Roberto that an extended vacation had affected his daughter's performance in school.
Maya is in a bad mood about a hard test. How can Christine encourage her daughter to stay confident and do better next time?
When Roberto overhears and his son Carlito and friends make some mean jokes about a fellow classmate, he must decide how to respond.
Jasmine confides in her cousin Tanika that she got her period for the first time. Tanika wonders when she'll get her period, and asks her mother Simone for advice on how to prepare.
Roberto can't get his son Carlito to open up to him. How can Roberto encourage Carlito to feel comfortable asking questions about his changing body, puberty, and peer pressure?
The school is having an open house for parents and teachers. Should Christine and Roberto attend?
Maya has a new crush! How should her mother Christine try to explain the difference between liking someone and being in love, and the responsible way to act on these feelings?
Mercedes met a new boy online, and her father Roberto is concerned. How can Roberto discuss internet safety without scaring his daughter?
Eric comes home upset because his baseball coach said he "throws like a girl." How can his mother Christine respond in a way that reassures her son, but also reminds him that it's not ok to stereotype?
Tanika is secretly meeting with an older boy from school, even though she's not allowed to date yet. How will her parents Simone and Sonny react when they find out?
While walking in a park with his father Sean, Eric is caught looking at a woman. Sean explains to his son the importance of respecting women and knowing boundaries.
Maya and Jasmine used to be best friends, but haven't seen each other in a while. How can Maya's mother Christine find out what happened and be sensitive at the same time?
Tanika is caught breaking the rules by talking to an older boy - again! Her parents Simone and Sonny try to explain to Tanika that they set these rules for her own safety.
Cassandra tells her friend Mercedes that she had sex, and Mercedes' mother Alicia overhears! Will she be able to calmly talk to her daughter about the situation?
Corey is kissing a girl in the living room - and his brother Eric and mother Christine walk in! Listen as Christine reminds Corey that he needs to set a positive example for his younger brother.
Mercedes and Cassandra are trying on outfits for a boy-girl party. Mercedes' father Roberto does not approve of her outfit, and tries to explain how it could attract unwanted attention.
Is Tanika old enough to walk home alone? Her parents Sonny and Simone try to come to a decision.
A popular rap video contains a lot of inappropriate language - and brothers Carlito and Tomas are singing along. How will their father Roberto react when he overhears?
Alicia tells her friend Christine that their daughters' friend Jasmine is pregnant! How can they prevent this from happening to their own daughters?
Carlito receives multiple phone calls from girls. What kind of questions will his father Roberto ask about these relationships?
Corey is entering a contest at school - and the winner gets a $500 savings bond! What should he do with the money if he wins?
Friends Mercedes and Cassandra swap stories about gifts they've received from boys. Their friend Maya listens and wonders if these boys might expect something in return.
Christine, Alicia, Roberto, and Simone each respond to the same question posed by their children: "How long do I have to wait to have sex?"
Sharon and Nora are dealing with challenges of raising pre-teens—from how their bodies are changing to how moody and sensitive they are.
Robert overhears an older boy make a crude comment about his daughter Keisha and has to figure out how to respond.
A passing conversation between Christina and Felicia at school pick-up turns into something more serious, as they grapple with how to talk to their daughters about alcohol and sex.
Helena leaves her diary open by accident, and her mother Nora reads it. Helena is hurt and angry! But Nora still wants to find a way to talk about what she has learned Helena is going through.
Segundo feels pretty uncomfortable talking to his niece about boys and growing up. He looks to his friend Enrique for advice.
Christina is excited that her daughter Maria is becoming a woman. But when Maria finds out that her mother told Maria's aunt that she got her period, Maria is not happy at all!
When Sharon finds out that Uncle Harry let her daughter Keisha drink some beer at the family barbeque, Sharon tries to find a way to lay down some rules about drinking.
When her daughter Rebecca gets home from a party, Christina discovers that some other kids there were drinking. How can Christina help her daughter deal with peer pressure and make the right decisions?
Felicia overhears her daughter Ana talking on the phone with a boy. Uncomfortable with the situation, Felicia has to figure out how to talk with Ana about rules when it comes to boys.
While cleaning up, Sharon finds beer hidden under her daughter Keisha's bed. Sharon tries to keep calm as she talks with Keisha about peer pressure and the consequences of drinking.
Helena opens up to her mother Nora that she's being teased about the way she dresses, and asks for advice on how to respond to these girls.
When Ana returns hungover from a sleepover, her mother Felicia must calm down and confront her about the importance of making good choices.
Robert feels uncomfortable with the idea of his daughter growing up. He and his wife Sharon try to figure out how to talk to their daughter about underage drinking, drugs, dating, and sex.
When Maria asks to attend a co-ed Halloween party, her mother Christina uses this as an opportunity to discuss knowing when to say "no" to friends —and to boys.
By telling a story from his high school years when a classmate threw up after drinking too fast, Enrique talks to his daughter about the consequences of drinking alcohol.
Felicia overhears her grandson Jesse telling her daughter Ana about a party he went to —and how one girl made out with three guys! Felicia tries to help Jesse and Ana understand how to protect themselves and their reputations.
When Keisha teases her father about how old his car is, Robert explains she's not the only one who sometimes faces peer pressure.
Helena confronts her mother with questions about why adults can drink, while Helena is considered too young.
Enrique shares with his daughters about a co-worker who got into an accident after drinking and driving and how to prevent this from happening to them.
When Segundo sees Ana's new Halloween costume, he is shocked. How can Segundo talk with her about what's appropriate when it comes to dressing up?
Helena thinks her aunt Carol is cool and fun, more so than her mother Nora. Should Nora suggest that Helena talk with Carol about difficult topics like alcohol and boys?
When Helena notices that her cousin Sandra has been acting strange since she became pregnant, her mother Nora explores with her how being pregnant can change your entire lifestyle.
Nora's niece is depressed —and has been drinking to cope. How can Nora and her friend Christina prevent the same thing from happening to their own daughters?
Keisha's friend Brenda is being bullied at school —and Keisha's others friends are the ones doing the bullying! Keisha turns to her parents for advice on how to stand up for her friend.
Nora talks with her daughter Helena about a girl she used to know growing up who would drink to get attention from boys. Nora explores whether Helena might know anyone like that, too.
Ana got one of the highest grades in class on an important school project! It's time to celebrate.
When Maria's friends showed up at a Halloween party wearing tighter, more mature costumes, Maria felt self-conscious and young. Christina tries to convince her daughter that self-respect is more important than wearing sexy clothes to attract boys.
Sharon overhears her daughter Keisha telling a friend that she doesn't drink, and doesn't feel comfortable anymore with a group of friends who do. How should Sharon let her daughter know she made the right choice?
Raising daughters is challenging —and Christina and Nora are afraid things will get harder as their daughters enter high school! What can they do help their daughters grow into confident, capable young women?
Vera and Sandra are dealing with new challenges as their sons become teenagers—from how their bodies are changing to how moody and sensitive they are.
When his son Adrian is starting to get attention from girls at school, Martin tries to figure out how to talk to his son about making responsible decisions.
Elena and Sonia each have 12-year-old sons and share a big concern about raising them: how can they talk with their boys about sex?
Marshall is trying to convince his mother that he's now a man! How can Vera help him understand all of the responsibility and maturity that goes along with that?
Sonia overhears her son Adrian ask his uncle for a sip of beer. How should she react?
Christian is tired of being teased for his sneakers, and asks his father Mario for a new pair that is expensive. Mario tries to help Christian understand there are more important things in life than material goods.
When Marshall says that he's "hooking up" with a girl from school, his mother Vera asks him what this really means?
Mauricio comes home from a party looking red-eyed and acting sluggish, and his father Mario wonders whether Mauricio has been smoking marijuana. What happens when Mario confronts his son?
Thinking her son Marshall could use a male role model, Vera tries to convince her brother Rene to talk with Marshall about "guy stuff."
Lamar get busted by his sister after skipping an afterschool program to hang out with his friends. How will his grandmother Sandra react?
Sandra and Sonia share about the surprises and challenges they're facing as their children go through the changes of puberty.
Elena's sons Mauricio and Christian talk with their friend Renal about a girl at school that they describe as being "easy." Elena overhears and addresses what they've been saying.
Vera finds beer in her son Marshall's room and confronts him about the situation.
Lamar's teacher called to say that he got an A on his math test! It's time to celebrate.
Rene and his nephew Marshall pass some kids drinking alcohol in public. Rene tries to convince Marshall that there are other ways to impress friends without drinking alcohol or trying drugs.
Adrian's grades in school are worse than expected. His parents try to develop a plan to better monitor Adrian's grades and stay involved with his schoolwork.
When Lamar asks to attend a party, his grandmother Sandra demands more details.
An instant message for her son Christian pops up while Elena is on the computer. When she clicks on the link, she is taken to a site with pictures of classmates smoking and drinking. How can Elena confront Christian without making him feel his privacy was invaded?
Justin, a schoolmate, frequently acts out, yet his mother doesn't seem to know. Mario and Sonia begin to wonder how much they know about their own sons' behavior.
Jesse wants to go play a new video game with his friend, despite not finishing his homework yet. Will his mother Sonia let him go?
When Sandra and Lamar run into a neighbor with HIV, Sandra tries to help Lamar understand the truth about the effects of the disease.
Sonia's nephew Alvin was drinking and got into a fight! Sonia and and her husband Martin try to figure out how to respond.
After realizing they haven't seen him for a while, Martin and Mario discuss how they could support their friend Gus who has HIV.
Martin sees his son Adrian kissing a girl at the basketball court and tries to find out more about the relationship.
Marshall is home and bored. How can his mother Vera help him find something to do?
Lamar's friend Chris has been depressed and absent from school. Lamar asks his grandmother Sandra for advice on how to help his friend.
Elena comes home to find her son Christian with a girl in his room! His older brother Mauricio was supposed to be in charge —so who's fault is it?
When Marshall decides that his friend Darius is hanging out with a new group of people that he doesn't want to be around, his mother Vera tries to find out why.
Salud y éxito/Health and Success was developed with funding from Grant Number 5R01HD062084 from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and Grant Number 207.0648 from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Copyright © 2010 Education Development Center, Inc.
These programs were developed by the Health and Human Development Division at Education Development Center, Inc.
