Be a Parent: You are the Responsible Adult
In society today, teenagers are at risk. From single parent or two-income households, teenagers are often left on their own. Parents make the mistake of assuming; because the kids are old enough to stay home alone, teenagers are quite capable of taking care of themselves. Big Mistake! In actuality, teens need adult supervision and guidance as much as younger children.
The years between grade school and college are crucial in developing decent, well-adjusted members of society. Teens are inundated with negative influences, peer pressures, and the normal growing pains discovering who they are, and finding a place in the grand scheme of life. Without proper guidance, many young people succumb to drugs, peer pressure, and a myriad of other possible negative influences. As a result, the rest of life is a
The years between grade school and college are crucial in developing decent, well-adjusted members of society. Teens are inundated with negative influences, peer pressures, and the normal growing pains discovering who they are, and finding a place in the grand scheme of life. Without proper guidance, many young people succumb to drugs, peer pressure, and a myriad of other possible negative influences. As a result, the rest of life is a
constant struggle. So, be a parent. You are the responsible adult. From the beginning, give children structure, a good education, and a soft place to land.
Despite protestations to the contrary, children thrive on structure. Have a schedule and household rules to follow. Kids also need to grow up knowing they can depend on the parents to be around to enforce the rules and lead by example. Surprises are not always happy events. If the rules are broken, the consequences should be fair and predictable. For example, if "Johnny" does not pick up his toys before bed, he will not be allowed to watch cartoons until his room is clean. Maybe "Susie" stayed out beyond curfew. Therefore, she will not be allowed to go out with her friends for a week or two. Give children a set of standards to live by, and the consequences if the rules are broken, and smart kids will learn how to live well at home, and with the world beyond home's front doors.
In order to live in today's world, children need a good education. The parents are responsible for ensuring children make the most of educational opportunities. Amazingly, many parents make the mistake of giving their children the license to fail. How? When a student's grades began to drop dramatically, the teacher called the boy aside to ascertain the problem. Was the boy sick? Did he understand the material? What was the reason for his obvious academic decline? The answer: his mother actually said she did not care what his grades were, as long as he passed the course. His grades dropped accordingly.
While some parents may seem to push their children too hard toward academic excellence, many parents put youngsters on the bus and resume parenthood when the kids return at night. Please, do not leave education totally in the hands of teachers and administrators. Children will exercise good study habits at home; students will learn personal discipline through homework standards established in the home. At the time, kids do not fully comprehend how reading, writing, and arithmetic will determine future success. However, without a good education, children will be unable to live a happy and productive life as adults. The skills learned in school, and reinforced at home, will determine how a young adult approaches a job, and a future career.
Along with teaching children how to make the right choices, follow the rules, and being personally disciplined to succeed, parents need to be the soft place to land, when the world beyond the front doors is not a kind place, or to find acceptance even when mistakes are made. Before being critical of children, parents would do well to remember how difficult childhood can be when friends are disloyal, and peer pressure means sticking to learned principles, rather than compromising to remain popular. Be loving, understanding, and steadfast. Alternatively, when a child does make a poor choice, be loving, understanding, and steadfast. Understand, everyone makes mistakes; consequences are a teaching tool; and, love should be unconditional. Even when parents hate how a child behaves, love for the child never wanes. Discuss the problem, enforced the consequences, and always have a hug ready. Be a dependable parent with love.
In summary, children will not learn to be happy, productive adults without good examples. Children need to learn responsibility, discipline, and love. Without the guidance of rules and consequences, children will ultimately become floundering adults. Likewise, kids not encouraged to reach their maximum potential through education, will become struggling adults. Most importantly, children without a dependable, loving, soft place to land, will look for acceptance and love elsewhere, possibly in the realms of promiscuity, drugs, and gangs. So, be a responsible parent, and loving raise children to become responsible, successful, loving adults.
Do you want to use this article? Well you can as long as you do not edit or delete the resource box. Click Here to download.
Despite protestations to the contrary, children thrive on structure. Have a schedule and household rules to follow. Kids also need to grow up knowing they can depend on the parents to be around to enforce the rules and lead by example. Surprises are not always happy events. If the rules are broken, the consequences should be fair and predictable. For example, if "Johnny" does not pick up his toys before bed, he will not be allowed to watch cartoons until his room is clean. Maybe "Susie" stayed out beyond curfew. Therefore, she will not be allowed to go out with her friends for a week or two. Give children a set of standards to live by, and the consequences if the rules are broken, and smart kids will learn how to live well at home, and with the world beyond home's front doors.
In order to live in today's world, children need a good education. The parents are responsible for ensuring children make the most of educational opportunities. Amazingly, many parents make the mistake of giving their children the license to fail. How? When a student's grades began to drop dramatically, the teacher called the boy aside to ascertain the problem. Was the boy sick? Did he understand the material? What was the reason for his obvious academic decline? The answer: his mother actually said she did not care what his grades were, as long as he passed the course. His grades dropped accordingly.
While some parents may seem to push their children too hard toward academic excellence, many parents put youngsters on the bus and resume parenthood when the kids return at night. Please, do not leave education totally in the hands of teachers and administrators. Children will exercise good study habits at home; students will learn personal discipline through homework standards established in the home. At the time, kids do not fully comprehend how reading, writing, and arithmetic will determine future success. However, without a good education, children will be unable to live a happy and productive life as adults. The skills learned in school, and reinforced at home, will determine how a young adult approaches a job, and a future career.
Along with teaching children how to make the right choices, follow the rules, and being personally disciplined to succeed, parents need to be the soft place to land, when the world beyond the front doors is not a kind place, or to find acceptance even when mistakes are made. Before being critical of children, parents would do well to remember how difficult childhood can be when friends are disloyal, and peer pressure means sticking to learned principles, rather than compromising to remain popular. Be loving, understanding, and steadfast. Alternatively, when a child does make a poor choice, be loving, understanding, and steadfast. Understand, everyone makes mistakes; consequences are a teaching tool; and, love should be unconditional. Even when parents hate how a child behaves, love for the child never wanes. Discuss the problem, enforced the consequences, and always have a hug ready. Be a dependable parent with love.
In summary, children will not learn to be happy, productive adults without good examples. Children need to learn responsibility, discipline, and love. Without the guidance of rules and consequences, children will ultimately become floundering adults. Likewise, kids not encouraged to reach their maximum potential through education, will become struggling adults. Most importantly, children without a dependable, loving, soft place to land, will look for acceptance and love elsewhere, possibly in the realms of promiscuity, drugs, and gangs. So, be a responsible parent, and loving raise children to become responsible, successful, loving adults.
Do you want to use this article? Well you can as long as you do not edit or delete the resource box. Click Here to download.
