How to Raise a Respectable Young Adult

Kid with obvious cultural identity conflict.

There are many tough jobs in the world today. One of them is being the parent of a modern day teenage son or daughter. Another job that's particularly challenging is that of being an average, everyday, ordinary teenager living in Anytown, America. Both positions are not only challenging but can sometimes even be dangerous.

Be a parent to your kid. Remember, your child has many friends, but only one mother and father. If you don't teach them wrong from right, someone else will. Too often parents expect the school system to "raise" their child for them. Or worse yet, the government. Do you really want the Department of Education teaching your kids about morality and ethics? Let's hope not.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Time
• Listening skills
• Confidence
• Sympathy
• Toughness as a parent

Be a Parent

1. Step one is BE A PARENT! Not another friend. One big problem for teens today is peer pressure. Ask any American teenager about it. Peer pressure can make you do things you would have never thought of doing. Most of them probably aren't so safe or beneficial for the teen that partakes in whatever it is he, or she, is pressured to do.
   Teens will pressure their friends to do anything from taking illegal street drugs to forcing someone to have sex that isn't ready. They feel pressured to do the act in order to be seen as "cool" or "hip" by their friends. Teens may even begin to act much differently than usual. They may take on a "thug lifestyle" just because their friends dress and talk that way. That can be just as dangerous as any drug.

2. Every parent needs to let their teen know that their lines of communication are always open. No matter what time of day or night it may be, no matter if it's in the middle of the Monday Night Football game, or just before your favorite Prime-Time television show, your teen needs to know you are always there for them.

3. Remember that it's okay to snoop in your kids room. Look for signs of changes in their behavior. Have they radically changed their appearance lately? If your kid is going around with a lot more "bling" than they did before this might mean trouble. Has their taste in music, language, reading material changed? Make sure to be aware of what kinds of websites they are looking at.

4. Don't be afraid to lay down the law when it's called for. If they mouth off to you or show you disrespect, it's your responsibility as a parent to punish them. take away their cell phone for a week. Tell them they may only use the computer for homework assignments. If you let them get away with poor behavior, it will only get worse.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to listen when your child talks to you. Let them know your door is always open for them.

• I personally think MTV and the rap 'music' industry are a major part of kids' behavioral problems today. Turn it off! Don't allow "gangsta rap" in your home. Don't give your kid money to buy rap cd's.