BACKGROUND
Graham Hyman, the author of this website, has been working with teenagers professionally since he was a teenager. His first “job” was as a volunteer leader with a group of his 14 year old classmates who developed and ran an after hours school program for latchkey children (who would otherwise go to empty homes at the end of the school day).
He is now at the other end of his career encouraging, guiding and motivating teenagers in high schools across Australia astounded that a 66 year old man can still hold the attention, and respect, of 12 – 18 year olds. The most common response he receives from kids is his greatest honour, “that was sooo my life!”
The 50 odd years between that have been spent gaining a theological degree, working as a minister with the Churches of Christ, then as its National Youth Director. In 1988, along with his wife Jadie, he began Youth Specialties Australia. Initially YSA provided youth work training but in the early nineties Graham began working with parents, presenting the original Australian version of Understanding Your Teenager as a seminar in schools, churches, and community groups across Australia as well as New Zealand and South Africa.
By the mid nineties this work grew into providing presentations for students and teachers, and this work continues today. Graham has worked in over 1/4 of all Australian high schools speaking to well over 1 million students, tens of thosands of parents and thousands of teachers. This work continues today as you can see from the YSA website.
THIS SITE
ParentingTeens.live is designed to make all of knowledge and experience (including, with Jadie, raising two teenagers who are now succesfully living their parenting and professional lives) available to the widest group of parents possible.
Parenting teens is hard and, in many ways, the hardest part of it is knowing whether you are doing the right thing. So often it seems that all the other parents are doing such a great job, or that the hope your child’s behaviour gave you yesterday is stolen by the stupid acts today, or that you are just scared by all of the stories of what happens to other kids. The resources on this site are available to help you. To give you confidence, ideas and encouragement. You can even ask your own questions!