For Parents and Professionals Who Care About Teens

If you are a parent or professional who frequents our site, we’re glad you’re here. It means you care about teen girls as much as we do. Check out these ideas to help you help your teen:

1. We’re trying to reach 5000 teens with our latest survey, What are the Biggest Secrets Girls Keep? Please help us spread the word by sharing this link.
2. Stop by www.carriesilverstock.com for more great tips and updates just for parents and professionals who care about teens.
3. Invite Carrie to speak at your school, conference , or event.
4. Be the first to get your copy of Secrets Girls Keep by preordering today!
5. Encourage the teen girl in your life to hang out with people who are achieving big things, like the girls right here at www.girlswithdreams.com.

Confessions of a Text-A-Holic Part I

I went to see a movie with an old friend this weekend. I hadn’t gone out with her in two years! I noticed that she kept checking her phone every five minutes and it bothered me because we could have been catching up during that time.

Technology is taking over our lives. I text instead of call, and I call instead of walking over to my neighbor’s house. I’m guilty of texting during class, while I’m on my break at work, and even while I drive!

I depend on my phone, but I’m not the only one. People are always texting when they’re talking to me. I even text while I’m already on the phone with someone else.

To be honest, I’m not completely sure I know how to talk to people anymore. I don’t know how to contribute to a conversation for very long because I’m so dependent on my cell phone and laptop.

I wish all of us could give the phones a break and talk to each other the real way.

Insights from the Go-Giver Tour

My friend Lyn Graft just told me about the Go-Giver Tour and the nationally bestselling book The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Although it’s more of a business book, the ideas and the inspiration behind the tour are relevant to everyone. It’s powerful stuff!

On their way down to Orlando to meet Bob Burg, the amazing entrepreneurs who started the Go-Giver Tour stopped here in St. Louis as well as a few other key cities. Gilbert Melott and Bradley Will were especially inspiring. Gilbert talked about a new book he read called Peaks and Valleys that argues whenever you are in a major valley, you are about to climb an awesome peak.

I know I was in a lot of valleys when I was a teen, whether I was stressing about my grades, my friends, or even obsessing about my weight. Some of those valleys were very dark. What a great analogy to think about, though. Next time you’re in a valley, it’s really important to surround yourself with quality people. Don’t try to deal with this on your own. Too many girls (me included, as a teen) are afraid to share what their secret is or what they’re dealing with. You are going to make it through this and you don’t have to be alone. Check out this video for more on this subject.

Then, Bradley shared he wants other entrepreneurs and people to find their passion. I couldn’t agree more! That is why we have Girls With Dreams. It’s critical to figure out what you’re good at, what your passions and gifts are, and then go out and use them! I know this is really hard as a teen because you might feel pulled in many directions. In contrast, some feel no pull whatsoever while others have a direct and clear path. No matter how you feel, know that it’s okay. We have a ton of great resources here to help you figure out tough questions. You can even check out this video for more information.

Finally, The Go-Giver is based on 5 laws: value, compensation, influence, authenticity, and receptivity. The ultimate message is Give More! One point that stood out to me was, “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself”. Have you ever thought along these terms? How good are you at being true to yourself? Are you easily swayed by your friends or do you feel like you can pursue your own beliefs, interests, and talents? How much of a giver are you? How can you give more?

If you’re intrigued by these ideas or have ever considered being an entrepreneur, check out the book and the entrepreneurs who were inspired to start the Go-Giver Tour.

Secret Tip 2 to Help Teen Girls Deal With Any Problem

So, what’s the second tip every girl needs to know? Find out in this quick video. You’ll be able to read all about the 7 tips in my forthcoming book, Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence.

Make sure you know and build on your strengths. So many girls put themselves down or forget to look at all of the things they are naturally good at.

It’s really important to know yourself. Write down a list of 10 things you are good at. If you get stuck, ask your friends and people close to you for their input. Keep this list handy, or consider starting a journal so you can review your strong points often!

Will You Take Our SECRETS Survey?

What are the biggest secrets girls keep? We want to find out from 5000 girls what the biggest secrets are! Can you take a minute to fill out this confidential survey and then send it to your friends? We’ll be letting you know the results, right here at Girls With Dreams! Thanks!

Here’s the link for your friends http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=IygPwf4fE5SjXQf27aGpFQ_3d_3d

Carrie talks about the survey in this video.

Secret Tip 1 to Help Teen Girls Deal With Any Problem

I guess you could say I’m letting out some of my secrets early, before the official release of Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence.

I believe there are 7 key tips every girl needs to know. These key tips can help you deal with any problem that comes your way. I reveal them in my forthcoming book, but check out Tip 1 in this quick video.

Tip 1: You Gotta Use Your Gut!

To get started, practice listening to that little voice inside of you. Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. Put a plus sign on one side and a minus sign on the other side. At the end of the day, write down where you listened to your gut well on the plus side and write where you didn’t listen well on the minus side. Think about how you can improve for tomorrow. Don’t get upset with yourself if things are a little rough at first. The most important thing is that you’re paying attention to that little voice inside of you.

How to Find the Right Guy

Whether you’ve dated a lot, a little, or are thinking about getting started. Most girls have probably asked themselves, “Am I ever going to find the right guy?” I caught up with a few teen girls who wanted to share their tips for finding the right guy.

Keep in mind, you always need to know yourself first. What kinds of things do you enjoy doing? What do you get excited about? How do you expect to be treated? The right guy should complement you. You shouldn’t have to compromise your values and beliefs to be with the right guy. Watch for more tips!

Can Schools Help Prevent Dating Violence?

With the recent attention on dating violence, we wanted to share ideas on how schools can play a bigger role in preventing it. Watch other teen girls give their ideas here.

Here are a few other suggestions you might try at your school:

• Organize an awareness week about dating violence. Invite a speaker or plan a program to illustrate the topic. The Yellow Dress is a great example, and you can find out more here.
• Distribute ribbons or wristbands or something along those lines as a reminder to end dating violence.
• Talk to your student government and get them involved. Consider partnering with other schools in your area to get more awareness.
• You can always start small. Talk to your group of friends, or your own Girls With Dreams Friend Circle and agree to take a stand against violence in relationships.

Earth Day is Every Day

I love that so many people are talking about going green! We have so far to go as a nation and a global community, but every little bit helps and it’s encouraging to see more people talking about going green and actually doing it. Earth Day is this Wednesday and in honor of it, I wanted to share a few fun tips.

1. Have fun with Earth Day, but remember, Earth Day is every day! How green can you be? Try to think of things you can do every day to be green. Start by doing something small and let it build! Before you know it, it will be like second nature.
2. Do you unplug your cell phone, ipod, and computer plugs when they are not charging? Even if you unplug your device, but don’t unplug at the wall, you’re wasting precious energy.
3. Have you seen the new Facebook application started by Gengreenlife? It’s so cool!
4. Walk or carpool! Try to see how you can walk or bike more. If driving is an option, can you carpool?
5. Join the celebration! St. Louis is having a huge Earth Day party at Forest Park. What’s your town up to? Just Google earth day and your town to get more great ideas.
6. Watch our No plastic video.
7. Tell us your green ideas and we’ll post them! You can email us at info@girlswithdreams.com

This Advice Could Save Your Life

Oprah recently aired a show about the dangers of being online. It was a segment that every teenager needs to watch. The experiences shared could happen to anyone. No one is safe, not even the girls who look like they have it all together, make good grades, and have good manners.

Oprah shared stories of teen girls who had been lured into dangerous situations by online sexual predators. The show was hard to watch. As hard as it might be, I encourage you to hear the girls talk about their experiences and listen to their advice. Sadly, not all the girls are still here to share their stories in person. Kristin’s mom shared her tragic story that ended in suicide.

Here are a few must-know tips for any teen online:

1. Remember, these experiences can happen to anyone.
2. You never know who you are really talking to online. That new girl that just moved into town or that cute guy might actually be an older man or teens playing a prank. Be sure you know who you’re really talking to when you’re online.
3. Be on guard for people behaving too nicely online. This is tricky. Of course there are good people online, but sexual predators have mastered how to be seemingly kind in order to lure their victims. Girls who shared their stories said the men would say things like, “You are so intelligent. You are so beautiful. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I love you”. It was so easy for young teens to fall for their kind words and sweet talk. This is often called ‘grooming’. Alicia, who was kidnapped and held as a sex slave, said her abductor talked to her while they were becoming friends. If she got into a fight with her mom, he said things such as, “You don’t deserve that, you’re so independent and grown up.” If she got a bad grade, he said encouraging things. The point is, he was purposely trying to seduce and befriend her in a very tricky and sneaky way, building her trust over time.
4. Never agree to meet anyone you’ve talked to online. Even if you think you are best friends and completely trust or adore this person. You never know what that person is really like or who that person is. Girls on Oprah’s show yesterday were victimized and raped after meeting their online friends.
5. Are you keeping something secret? If you’re not talking to anyone about this relationship or you’re hiding it from your parents, you could be in over your head.
6. Watch out for your friends. If one of your friends is engaging in any of these dangerous behaviors and won’t stop, you need to get an adult to help. It might feel like you are betraying your friend, but you could save her life.
7. Help me spread the word. These are tips that should be taught in every school and talked about in every home with a computer. Please forward this information to anyone you care about. You might just save your friends life!
8. Keep other kids safe by making sure the John Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act stays in effect. Find out more here about how your simple email can make a huge difference.

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