Mary Major

When does a child become an adult? At puberty? When they get their driver s license, when they start their first job, or when they leave home for university?Indeed, the transition to adulthood isn t as clear as in the middle of Hakuna Matata in The Lion King. But there are ways to mark key milestones in the evolution from child to adolescent to adult that will set your kid on a positive path toward independence.In eastern Africa, rites of passage for teenaged Maasai boys include a series of physically painful trials to hone their mental strength and endurance. Traditionally in their final test, they are sent into the wilderness to fend for themselves until they return having killed a lion. Only then are they deemed ready to meet all the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood in the Mara.North American teens don t need to endure burning embers and fire ant stings to prepare for adulthood, but as anthropologist and psychologist Mary Pipher says in her book 'Reviving Ophelia': Psychologist David Baum, who specializes in life transitions, explains that teens crave responsibility but are treated like adults-in-waiting : too young for challenges or to fight for their beliefs. He points out that they are on the receiving end of everything -- homework from teachers, instructions from parents, pressure from peers -- and they need opportunities to have agency over their own lives.These rites of passage can start from a very young age small responsibilities like household chores, or deciding what to eat for lunch and lead gradually to major challenges like volunteer trips overseas or a gap year between high school and university.In the middle, make them responsible for maintaining their own bicycle or caring exclusively for the family pet. Consider letting your kids plan and lead a family outing, or be wholly responsible for the family meal once a week (getting the groceries, then making and serving the meal).Craig s journey included Scouts, with winter

Do Not Disturb: Season 1: Episode 2 -- When Neal decides to hang a life-sized birdcage in the bar of The Inn to put his top notch female staff on display, Rhonda warns him that his little stunt may be against hotel policy. Downstairs, Larry gives Gus insider information about female guests checking into the hotel so he can sweet talk them into tipping him better, but when Larry starts collecting a percentage of Guss earnings their relationship takes on a whole new meaning. Meanwhile, Nicole has a meltdown when she realizes Neal has not asked her to work a shift in the birdcage, and Audrina Patridge from The Hills attempts to check into The Inn.

The town of Port Gibson, Mississippi is in need of your help. Declared 'too beautiful to burn' by Ulysses S. Grant during the notoriously destructive Vicksburg Campaign of 1863, Port Gibson has become one of the most historically significant towns in the South. Now, a highway expansion project and almost twenty years of indecision and infighting threaten to transform Church Street, a lovely, tree-lined avenue, into a major interstate. Meet a few locals determined to save this national treasure. Help unite the community around an Eastern bypass! Sign the petition to save Port Gibson at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-port-gibson-mississippi For more information on other ways you can help the cause, please visit: www.portgibsonheritagetrust.org Credits - A Pete's House Production A film by Grady McGahan Shot by: Robert Northrup Archival Footage: Robert Clark Music: 'The Second Battle of Port Gibson' by Lonesome Mel, Mary Mac, and Larry Special Thanks: Bob Thibodeaux, Terry Merritt, Jane Ellis, Al Hollingsworth, Shirley & Willie Daigle, Georgia's at the Depot, and Port Gibson Heritage Trust If you like the music, be sure to check out www.myspace.com/lonesomemel

The Negotiator starring Kevin Spacey, Samuel L. Jackson, David Morse