Onslow Theckla | RealiTeen

Tia Bandavanis

My name is Tia and I'm very excited to join the Realteen team. I am a fun-loving, caring, and colorful person. I begin and end everyday with a smile. There is only one man in my life and that is my 15 yr. old son John. It's been my job to raise my son from a young age through his teen years. I am a single mom and I feel as though I have done my best to help my son become a responsible young man. I was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in the Maryland and D.C. area. I moved to Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1992. I now consider myself to be a native. I miss family dearly but find ways to visit often. My home and heart is here in Onslow County. This is pretty much due to the fact that I have raised my son here and found it to be a great place to live. I currently teach preschool at a local preschool. I have been teaching for over 20 years. I love children of all ages and could not imagine myself doing any other profession. I enjoy outings with my son to the movies, watching football, visiting local spots such as the Lynwood Park Zoo, going to the beach, and canoeing along our local rivers. I look forward to writing and reading the blogs. I feel this is a great opportunity to explore my parenting role and others. Parenting my teen son has been very rewarding and challenging. However, I have learned that being an effective parent is about learning and growing along with my son!

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As the community manager for the Onslow Memorial Hospital's blogs -- TummyTime, Cuddlebugs, JustKiddin', Middleville and RealiTeen, as well as MomTalk, I'm committed to sharing relevant and timely information that matters to moms. Background: I'm a graduate of the University of Virginia and a native of Charlotte, NC. I've been involved with MomTalk since the very beginning and have enjoyed watching this online community grow. It has been great fun to share our bloggers' stories and see how they touch readers; all of the blogs have inspired some great conversations about parenting! I hope that these sites are a place that you enjoy visiting and you find them valuable, interesting, and most of all, fun. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!

Watching R-rated Movies Ups Odds of Teens Smoking

December 8th, 2010 Onslow Theckla

Teens who are allowed to watch R-rated movies are more likely to take up smoking than teens whose parents bar them from viewing mature movie content, according to new research.

In fact, the study authors estimated that if 10- …
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Behavior Disorders Boost Crash Risk for Teen Boys: Study

November 22nd, 2010 Onslow Theckla

Most parents are nervous to see their teen child take the wheel for the first time. Even with hours of training and practice, driving can be risky. Male teens with disruptive behavior disorders have a one-third increased risk of being seriously injured in a traffic crash, either as a …
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Study Urges Teens to Cut Down on Salt

November 15th, 2010 Onslow Theckla

This may surprise some, but in the US, teens are the main consumers of salt. It perhaps less surprising when you consider the list of foods that are typically high in salt: cereal, bread, fast foods, and pizza – just …
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Merry Fitness 5K, to benefit Girls on the Run

November 12th, 2010 Onslow Theckla

Onslow Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce a partnership with Girls on the Run.

Girls on the Run® is a life-changing, experiential learning programs for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 …
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OMG! Excessive Texting Tied to Risky Teen Behaviors

November 11th, 2010 Onslow Theckla

Excessive texting and social networking may increase teens’ risk for dangerous health behaviors, including smoking, drinking and sexual activity, a new study suggests.

Researchers looked at hyper-texting (sending more than 120 messages per school day) and hyper-networking (spending …
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