Approximately 38 percent of adolescents attend weekly religious services, 17 percent attend once or twice per month and about 45 percent rarely or never attend services. African-American and Latino adolescents are more religious than youth from other ethnic backgrounds. Teens living in areas of poverty and violence often seek the local churches for solace and protection.

Teens from a fundamentalist denomination of religion are less depressed than other adolescents and are less likely to engage in premarital sex, use drugs or engage in delinquent behavior. These teens are more altruistic, more prosocial and more likely to be involved in their community.

Our first tip below is about teaching values to our children. Send in your favorite kid tips.

INFORMAL VALUE LESSONS ARE BEST

Values are best taught to teens during informal times and in a way that doesn't appear to be a lesson. For example, family discussions about current events, television shows, radio talk shows, movies, books or situations at school often provide entrees to sharing your views and values with your children. Use real-life examples that they can relate to. It's also important for them to understand that their values will determine how they react to things, what kind of friends they will choose and many other aspects of their life. If values are not taught by parents, children will acquire their values from other external forces, such as the media and their friends. — Paul D., Hayward, Calif.

TEEN SCHEME FOR BEATING CURFEW

When I was a teen, my parents would go to bed before my curfew time on Friday and Saturday evenings. My mother always asked me to shut off the hall light when I got home so she would know I had gotten home safely. Well, I did turn off the light, but I turned right around and left again, staying out as long as I wanted. — A.P., Carson City, Nev.

CURE FOR FALLING OUT OF BED

My daughter occasionally would fall out of bed during the night. To block the falls, I placed a thin blanket, rolled up lengthwise, along the side of the bed and under the bottom sheet. It works! — P.H., Atlanta

HOMEMADE FOURSQUARE COURT

My two boys and their neighborhood friends tired of redrawing the chalk lines for their foursquare court every time it got wet, so I recommended a more permanent solution. First, we visited their school and measured the exact dimensions of the foursquare court on the playground. Then, instead of using chalk on our home court, we used masking tape to mark the lines. The kids even use the taped lines to write down various neighborhood top scores, such as the most consecutive serves. — P.C., Medford, Ore.

VACUUM DOES MORE THAN CLEAN

The youngest of my five children was born with an allergy, and she cried all the time. We finally discovered that when I was running the vacuum, she would stop crying and fall asleep. I wore out an old canister vacuum by putting it under her bed and turning it on when it was time for her to go to sleep. It worked every time. — Helen Q., Omaha, Neb.

To save wear and tear on your vacuum cleaner, tape the noise onto a cassette tape. — Lori A., Benicia, Calif.

(Always keep safety, age appropriateness and your intimate knowledge of your own child in mind when considering use of any tip.)