Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world who are probably not so sure themselves.

While approximately one in every 400 children and adolescents have Type I diabetes recent Government reports indicate that one in every three children born in 2000 will suffer from obesity which as noted is a predominant Type II precursor.

The thing about youthful offenders is that no one seems to care about them. Most people don't like adolescents - even the good ones can be snarky and unpleasant. Combine the antipathy we feel toward the average teenager with the fear inspired by youth violence and you have a population that no one wants to deal with.

When it comes to raising civilized kids there are no hard rules but there are two things on which most parents agree: Boys are generally wilder than girls and adolescents are wilder than kids of any other age. If you've got an adolescent boy you're in the sweet spot for trouble.