How to Keep Your Children out of Bad Gangs

When you think of kids joining gangs, you probably believe it's a function of living in the inner city and it's limited primarily to males. To the contrary, gangs are a big problem in the suburbs, as well, and more girls are joining them than ever before. According to the US Department of Justice, all youth gangs have one thing in common: Criminal activity. Furthermore, gangs tend to form along racial lines, and gang members wear clothing or have distinctive tattoos that signify they belong. By and large, parents would do well to encourage their children not to join a youth gang. Here are a few things you can do to keep your children out of gangs.

Instructions

Protect Your Child

1. Make sure your child gets plenty of love and support at home. A major reason youngsters turn to gangs is to satisfy their need for belonging. If they are made to feel secure, and are surrounded by people who care about them, they're less likely to reach out to youth gangs.

2. Take an active interest in your children's lives. Know at all times how they are doing in school, and make a point to attend events that are important to them. Make it a rule that the family share at least one meal each day which will provide the opportunity to catch up on their lives.

3. Get to know your children's friends and encourage them to make friends with those who are acceptable. Many times, you will learn more about what your children are doing from their friends than from your children, themselves.

4. Look for the warning signs that things are not quite right. Falling grades, a bad attitude, a reduced appetite, and insomnia can be signals of poor decisions being made by your child. By simply knowing that these changes have taken place, you will be demonstrating a level of interest that's very important.

5. Set parameters. Praise your child often for operating within your guidelines, or chastise her for straying outside of them. By doing so, you will be nurturing your child's self-esteem, and instilling a sense of personal responsibility.

6. Teach your child how to deal with adversity. One way is to share with him problems that you have had and to describe the thought processes you followed to solve them. By doing so, you will build trust with your child.