It's something of a stereotype, but the average teen tends to be a bit on the self-absorbed side. Even the ones who aren't all that self-absorbed. Adolescence is simply a time when human beings are completely wrapped up in their own personal dramas -- and never so much than at the prom, an entire event devoted completely to angst and formalwear. That's why I'm seriously impressed by what a bunch of Florida teens on their way to the prom did when the van traveling in front of their limo started swerving, hit the guardrail, and flipped over on its side.

I get how some sports fans take their love for their team to extremes, I really do. But there comes a point when you cross the line from loyalty and devotion to being a classless idiot. A fan at the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins NHL playoff hockey game last night proved this by holding up a sign that read, "Toronto Stronger" with a blue ribbon.

I mean, WTF?! Everyone is well aware of what Boston has gone through this past April with the horrific Boston Marathon bombings that forever tainted a day that was supposed to be a celebration of pride, patriotism, and athleticism. The phrase "Boston Strong" was coined to help the city get through such a harrowing, difficult time. But then this dumbass fan had to make and hold up this sign ... I guess just to prove that dumbass people like this actually exist.

Spanking in school -- again?!? New Jersey high school principal Lee McCaskill is on administrative leave for allegedly spanking a teenage female student -- on her backside. And everyone is surprised. "Didn't see this coming," says school board president George Cook, who describes McCaskill as "very hands on." I'll say!

Of course there will be an investigation to see if McCaskill really did spank a student. But there are multiple witnesses who say they saw him do the deed. He could lose his job over the incident. Or not? 

They say there's an exception to every rule, and that's what Kansas high school junior Courtney Widener's special prom date request should have been considered by school officials. But it wasn't -- at least, not at first. Courtney wanted to bring her 22-year-old brother, Senior Airman Casey Widener, to the prom, and I don't blame her: She'd only seen Casey once since he got back from his deployment in Afghanistan. Of course she wanted a night on the town with her big bro! But she was told that bringing her brother was against the school district's rule prohibiting anyone over the age of 21 from participating in prom activities. Courtney was devastated ... until Casey came up with a way to escort his sister without getting her in trouble.

Sending kids off to school or dance class or camp when they're small can be scary because they're so vulnerable -- what if, God forbid, they should cross paths with an abusive teacher or coach? But I've found that sending tweens off to class can be just as nerve-wracking, and this video of a female dance instructor in China both verbally and physically assaulting her 13- and 14-year-old students explains why.

The worst part of the whole thing, in my opinion, is that even though the students are almost the same size as their horrible teacher and could conceivably fight back or at least leave the class, they don't -- they just take the abuse. Why? Because the teacher is an "authority figure." And while this is an extreme example of a very, very dysfunctional dynamic, a less hateful version of the same harassment could be happening to your kid right now.

A Michigan mom has filed a complaint with her school district, saying that a book that contains "pornographic" material should be removed from the schools. Golly gee whiz, did Fifty Shades make it into a school library somewhere?! Uhh, not quite. The "pornographic" book that got this mom's knickers in a twist? The Diary of Anne Frank. Yep, there is actually a mom somewhere who thinks that a diary by a 15-year-old girl detailing the horrors of the Holocaust is too dirty for her daughter to read -- but not because of the mass killings of the Jews, but because Anne mentioned her private parts!

If you've been wondering about whether watching "sexually explicit media" will speed up your teen's sex life, wonder no more: According to a study from the Netherlands, teenagers who are exposed to racy content are "more likely than other teens to have sex for money and to try new sexual behaviors." Aha! Numbers don't lie! And these numbers are ... wait a minute. Apparently only 0.3 to 4 percent of the differences in "behaviors" were linked to watching sexy media. Whoa, that's some staggering evidence right there. (And what's up with "sex for money" being an actual thing for teens in the Netherlands?!)

Look, I get it. No matter how pragmatic and/or progressive we might be as parents, none of us really wants to think about our kids having active sex lives. Or anything remotely close to active sex lives. So some of us go out of our way to try and figure out what we can do/avoid to stop that from happening.

A high school promenade is the stuff legends are made of. Sneaking drinks! Making out! Drama! Sex! Dresses! DJs! After-parties! But before that magical night can even get off the ground, a lot of money is spent. According to a new study, the average American household spends just over $1,100 sending their teen to prom. A thousand dollars!

Am I old-fashioned, or is that just absurd. Even though the average teen covers 41 percent of the cost of prom, it's still a lot of cheddar to spend just for one night. Prom should be special, naturally, but it shouldn't put you in a financial crisis.

Here are 8 tips to get the whole prom experience ... for less.