The complete list of all life-guiding messages for young people – click the titles for further information
You must be 16 or over to legally have sex. This is called the “age of consent”; in the eyes of the law we are unable to give informed consent to sex when still a child.
A mortgage is a loan you take out to buy property, if you did not have enough money to buy the house in full at the time of purchase. The lender (usually a bank or building society) holds the deeds of the house as a guarantee of payment until you have repaid the loan in full with interest, and you live in the house as if you fully owned it.
Instead of recognising the differences between yourself and others, recognise what you have in common. We all need food, shelter, and love. We crave attention, recognition, affection, and above all, happiness.
If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 to speak to a trained operator who will take all the details and advise on action – either for you to do or they may send an engineer to investigate. The service operates free callout throughout the UK*. Don’t flip electrical switches, and do turn the gas off at the meter if you can.
Productive, solvable worries are those you can take action on right away (for example, if you’re worried about your grades, you could speak to your teacher to see how you can improve). Unproductive, unsolvable worries are those for which there is no corresponding action (“What if I get cancer someday?” or “What if my children get into an accident?”).
If you need motivation to improve your work in a job, speak to your actual customers and ask them what you have done that has really helped them or changed their life. Their gratitude and feedback will help you understand what a great effect you have.
To tidy your house quickly, you need a bin-bag and a basket. Taking one room at a time, put the rubbish in the bag and put whatever doesn’t belong in the room into the basket. Then go to the next room, unload anything from the basket that belongs in this room, and load anything in that doesn’t.
Different subjects at school teach you how to think in different ways. School gives you the different skills you will need in life, such as:
During term time 13-16 year olds may work a maximum of 12 hours per week: a maximum of two hours on school days and Sundays, and a maximum of five hours on Saturdays for 13 to 14 year olds, or eight hours for 15 to 16 year olds.
Don’t let scenarios play out in your head if they didn’t happen; use your energy more productively and manage your thoughts and emotions more effectively.