This photo released by Reading Partners shows Trisha Fisher,left helping Joenna, right with her... 
(AP)
What's that lump on the sofa?
Uh-oh. It's a teenager with no summer plans — unless you count playing Wii and texting.
Time to help that kid get a life. Never mind that summer's well under way, and all the other kids had jobs, internships, camps and classes lined up long ago.
Some ways teens with nothing to do can use the rest of the season constructively, along with tips for parents to help get them off that couch:
MOTIVATION
Sure, teens may need a little down time, especially if they're busy during the school year. But Mary Jo Rapini, a psychotherapist with The Methodist Hospital in Houston, said "it's not good for kids to do nothing in the summer," she said. "We know for a fact that kids who lie around all day, often times their self-esteem goes down; they get into more trouble; they feel disengaged from families. They get lonely in the summer, and they need attention."
They're at higher risk for teen pregnancy, Rapini said. "They're texting, they're sexting, they have access to all kinds of Web sites. Whenever kids don't have a routine, their lives get chaotic."
If your teen is resistant or lacks initiative, Rapini said the first step for parents is simply "sitting and talking." What is your teen interested in? What is he or she good at? Identify people, businesses or organizations they might contact about a job or volunteering.
Next, parents should help teens practice a pitch they can make that sums up their skills and what they're looking for. Then set a goal for the teen: "I want you to make three calls today. I want to know after each one you call how it went, and I'll cross it off the list."
"You can inspire a kid by presenting a task to solve and saying, 'We've got to work on this. This is our goal,'" Rapini said.
Even if the calls don't lead to a gig, at least the teen made an effort and practiced job-searching skills.
