News and Notes from the
World of Al Menconi

10 Things Adults Should Know about Teenagers Pointers for Adult Volunteers (and Parents) By  Brian Kirk  as published in YMtoday.com Brian is a Disciples of Christ minister serving the urban church of Union Avenue Christian in St. Louis. This article was first written to help adult volunteers on mission trips, but I believe the all parents need to read this wise insight.  Enjoy. Al Menconi, editor This summer, for the first time at my church, instead of taking a "youth mission trip," we took an "all-church mission trip." This meant that adults other than those who regularly work with our students went along for the journey. It ocurred to me that if we were going to travel, live, and work together for a week, it might be helpful to give these other adults some pointers on hanging out with young people. What follows, in no particular order, are the top ten tips I shared with those adults prior to our trip. 1) Teenagers are people, too. Resist calling th

Life Rules for Teenagers This week I thought I’d pass on some classic words of wisdom from Charles J. Sykes, author of the 1996 book Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can’t Read, Write, Or Add.  These rules have been incorrectly attributed to a number of other people over the years.  Most recently, emails have been circulating stating that they were a part of a high school graduation ceremony speech by Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft, but that attribution is false. In any event, these rules are timeless, humorous, and so very true.  They caught my attention, so I think they will catch yours as well. Feel free to pass them on, but be sure not to attribute them to me.  Al Menconi Life Rules for Teenagers   Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase “It’s not fair” 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever.  When they s