What to Do When Your Teen Chooses Bad Friends

 What to Do When Your Teen Chooses Bad Friends

with his friends Saturday night doing what you would rather not know about. It is 11:30 and you get a call on the phone. Your child is having a great time and everyone is still here, can he stay out until 2 am? You remind your child that he has a 12:00 curfew and he has to be home. Your child says a few choice things to you to and slams down the phone.

Now to whom does a teen complain when he is angry with his parents? His friends. So after he hangs up he goes to his friend and starts calling you every name in his somewhat extensive vocabulary. Let's say that this friend is someone you took out to dinner three weeks ago.

That person might just say to your child, "What's wrong with you? Your mother is okay. Look, you know she's right. Why are you giving her such an attitude?" This teen that you just took out to dinner may send your child home before any of the real trouble starts, all because you bought him dinner and treated him like a person.

Now what would happen if you had trashed this person? Do you think he'd be so quick to take your side? That's the advantage of making your child's friends allies instead of enemies.

Conclusion

Your teen is going to pick his friends. At this age, there is very little you can do to influence his choices. However, if you approach the problem with wisdom, there are a number of ways you can indirectly influence your child and help him to stay out of trouble.

About the author: Anthony Kane, MD is a physician, an international lecturer, and director of special education. He is the author of a book, numerous articles, and a number of online courses dealing with ADHD, ODD, parenting issues, and education.