Starting a conversation about not smoking really isn’t as hard as you may think. Your teen is expecting for you to say something – he/she knows that most parents do. That can take the edge off. Here is how to make these conversations as effective as possible, so your teen doesn’t ever start smoking.

More: Screening Quiz - Is Your Teen Smoking?

A worried mom wonders: My daughter is 13 yrs old.. She is a very outgoing, loving child. But constantly lies about everything. Simple things to very important matters. She is a child from a divorce parents. I divorced her father when she was 5. So, she is used to being passed back and forth and dealing with her parents arguments/discussions that pertain to her. Sometimes I think that she wants to lie about things to keep from her parents fighting about her. How can I stop this from getting worse?

Denise's thoughts: When you know your teen is lying to you , it is important to deal with the lying immediately. Too often, lying goes with another bad mistake in behavior and we discipline for the other behavior instead of the lying. Then lying starts to be a habit, which is something we want to avoid.

First, talk to your teen about why he/she is lying. Discuss how it makes you feel when you lose trust in him/her because of the lying. Then give a consequence. For an example, see this blog post on teen lying.

Let us know how it is going.

From our parenting community: Has your teen lied to you? What have you done to solve this problem? Share your thoughts and advice in the comments area or on the forum.

Guest writer, Martin Weil of MW Investment Strategy Group, has given us this resourceful guide to understanding 529 Plans. The hows, whys and what-fors are explained very simply - I even understood it ;-)

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It’s banned books week and I’m writing this to say that I believe your teen’s books should be censored. Now before you go off and rant in my comments section, read the rest of the blog post. I believe your teen’s books should be censored by you. In our home, we give a lot of freedom when it comes to reading, but I have said no to some books and we’ve called a draw on some. In our house a draw means that mom isn’t really sure about a book, so she will let you read it - but she is going to read it right along with you and you’ll have to talk about it. That is what happened with the golden compass and my then preteen. I have to say, I did find the entire His Dark Materials Trilogy a delightful tale and I’m glad we read it.

I do not, however, believe that anyone besides the parents of a child should censor books. We enjoy freedoms in this great country and one of them is that you cannot impose your beliefs on me, and vice versa. You can share your opinion with me, but you cannot keep my children from reading what I deem acceptable either agressively, by burning books, or passively, by taking them out of the library.

Agree? Disagree? Share in the comments area.

Suggested Reading:

• 2008 Banned Books Week Report
• Everyday Tactics That Will Encourage Reading
• 5 Steps to Good Decision-Making Skills for Teens