There are some things that parents can do to both provide more structure for teens and monitor their behavior with an increased level of confidence.
Know your teen’s friends – Parents should know all your teen’s friends, as well as their families, if possible.
Know where your teen is at all times – It should be mandatory that your teen keep you informed of where he or she will be at all times. Don’t settle for a vague, “I’ll be hanging out with my friends.” That’s not specific, and won’t help you locate your teen should you need to or if there’s a panic call for help. Require your teen to give you specific details, including who they’ll be with, where they’re going, what they’ll be doing, if there’ll be responsible adults in attendance, and when they’ll be home. If they can’t or won’t provide the details, don’t allow your teen to go.
Educate teens on distracted driving – Although the dangers of texting and cell phone use while driving are becoming more well-known, and many states have or are enacting laws prohibiting such behavior, make sure your teen knows the dangers of distracted driving. The obsession of teens to be constantly in touch with their friends by texting, especially, is something that parents need to nip in the bud. If parents see their teens repeatedly violating the law by texting and/or using cell phones while driving, either take away the cell phone or restrict driving privileges – or both.
Limit Internet use – Establish rules that teens need to abide by for limiting Internet use when parents aren’t home. Educate teens on the dangers of unsafe use of the Internet, and know what your teens are doing when they’re online.
Encourage an after-school job for your teen – To keep teens busy and out of trouble in the all-important hours of 3 to 6 p.m. when millions of American teens are left unsupervised, encourage your teen to get an after-school job. In the summer, a part-time job can be even more important, since there are many long hours while parents are away at work that teens can wind up doing things that can land them in trouble.
Author: Dr. Harmander Singh
Be Happy Philselfologically: The Research on Free and Renewable Energy as Quantum, Classical and Sacred Systems! 🙂
