Last week (before the long weekend so it feels like a lifetime ago), I had the good fortune to lunch with Vanessa Van Petten. She is a fascinating 22 year old who, despite having just completed college, has already developed a career as a teen expert and personal coach/mentor. She's very well known in Los Angeles for her insights into teen behaviors, online and off, and frequently is called upon to conduct seminars and training at some of Los Angeles' most exclusive high schools. Vanessa has a daily e-newsletter, a resource-laden website and her latest venture, an e-book, available online for a small fee. The title of her e-book? "The Dirt E-Secrets of an Internet Kid." Love it and I can't wait to read it.
Do you ever wonder why teens love social networking? Vanessa has the research. Concerned about your teen's anger at you? Vanessa has great parent-teen relationship advice. Whatever your family's current teen related drama, I highly recommend you take a look at Vanessa's site, sign up for her newsletter and use this summer as a time to really work on your understanding of your teen's life.
Here's one tidbit from our lunch chat that floored me: teens tend to hide their porn in the computer's recycle or trash bin. Sneaky!
Original posting date: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 | 11:50 AM