“I want to go to the movie with my friends…without you.”
“I am totally old enough to go to the amusement park with my friends. Everybody else is doing it.”
Do any of these statements sound familiar? If you are the parent of a middle or high school student you have probably had more than one intense conversation with your child about being away from home unsupervised.
“Whenever you leave your child unsupervised, whether it is at home or out in public, you
are expecting them to have a certain level of maturity when it comes to dealing with situations that arise,” said General Sessions Judge Christie Sell. “I have seen far too many well meaning parents stand in my courtroom shocked that their child was in trouble. The reality is our children are just that, children even into the teen years. We are living in a very different culture compared to ten or twenty years ago when most of today’s parents were growing up. To say, ‘I did that and nothing happened to me,’ is probably not the best line of defense when thinking about what is and is not appropriate for your child today.”
“A friend who is not afraid to get themselves in trouble is not afraid to get your child in trouble,” said Judge Sell. “It is rare that I only see one teen before me for public intoxication. It is almost always a group of kids. I strongly encourage parents not to put their child in a situation they aren’t prepared to handle. When you drop your child off at the mall or at the movie theater you have no idea who is there. Malls, amusement parks and movie theaters are a ‘candy store’ for predators and drug pushers. Is your child prepared to handle the pressure from a group of teens who want to drink and drive, go somewhere they aren’t supposed to be or do something else they would never think of doing in your presence?”
Teens are at the crossroads of life, they are trying things that look good, interesting and often under peer pressure.
Consider these suggestions:
- Don’t be a naïve parent.
- Know what your kids are doing.
- Pay attention to their circle of friends because birds of a feather typically flock together.
- If you drop your child off at the movies, check to see if he/she is really there.
- Guard against giving your child more freedom than he/she is prepared to handle.
- Discuss what it means to be trustworthy and what happens when trust is broken.
- Remind your child about the family rules that apply even when they are with other people.
- Teach your child to trust their gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t and they should leave the scene immediately.
- Give your child suggestions about how to get out of situations. Have agreed upon code words or a phrase that lets you know they need help.
The definition of a parent, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is one who brings up and cares for another. The Easy logger is a free app that keeps you posted of your child’s activities including phone calls and text messages, the Easy logger pro additionally acts as a phone tracker keeping you abreast of your child’s location at all times.
Are you using the Easy logger to help you keep your Teen safe? Tell us about it!