The good, boring, normal, non-trendy teenage boy who is too "uncool" to have friends is the subject of the new single from Kelly Rowland (right). The song Stole focuses on those teenagers whose lives have been "stolen" away because they have made bad decisions as a result of being misunderstood. She sings about a teenage boy, a good student who feels isolated and unappreciated, then commits suicide in the school lavatory. She sings about a teenage girl, another good student, who doesn't think before havi

These lyrics are teen soap opera on one level, but on another they are worth listening to because they address the real problem of adolescence: the need to be loved and appreciated.

In a teenage world that hinges on the cult of celebrity and the romance of misbehaviour, being a "good" student can be a lonely road to travel. And looking for love through sex could result in more than you bargained for.

If your teens have bought Rowland's CD, the lyrics could be a good starting point for meaningful conversation with sons and daughters. Just do me a favour, don't dance to it. Teens hate that.

Sign of the times

DO you know how to use sign language with your baby? Of course you do. The moment your baby was born, you started staring into each other's eyes and smiling. When she was hungry, she began a rooting reflex, reaching with her little mouth for your breast. Even if you had to bottle feed, as many mothers do, you knew what the reflex meant.

Now, I read that we're supposed to formalise this with a hand language that includes a milking-the-cow motion (think udders) to symbolise the word "milk". Excuse me? I have yet to meet a baby, unless one with serious special needs, who couldn't make his or her parents perfectly aware of his or her request for milk.

Likewise, babies have subtle and ingenious non-verbal signals for wanting to be picked up, and cuddled or entertained. This is called fretting and crying. And babies do it up to 24 hours a day. I'm fascinated by the notion that experts are now teaching parents the art of understanding this language. I can only think that these parents either haven't got the time or the confidence to figure it out for themselves.