It’s not always easy being a parent and it can sometimes be even more difficult if you’re a single parent. If you have shared custody the other parent could be teaching your children the exact opposite of what you are trying to instill in them. If their other parent is no longer in the picture at all that could create issues for your kids as well.
And then there is peer pressure. That’s probably one of the worst things a kid faces and it can happen at any age in which they are in school, from kindergarten to senior year (and even on into college). At some of these ages, your children are even more likely to take their peers’ word on things over yourself, even though you’re the one that may have lived it.
Drugs And Alcohol
This is one of those touchy subjects when it comes to talking to your kids. Despite the fact that there are meth addiction treatment Thailand, or anywhere else, many children do not know how to get help and may shy away from talking about it to parents for fear of being scolded or punished. Many articles suggest that you not use your own examples of drug and alcohol use with your kids, as it will make them think that since you’re alright now they can do them and be just fine. That makes sense, but it also makes you wonder how you’ll get the point across that these things are bad if you’re not telling them you’ve tried them.
You need to understand, just as well as they do, that addiction can be a brain disorder, and even that many people use it as a way to cope with different issues in life. You also want to show them the negative effects of this addiction, whether it’s tales of people losing their licenses for driving drunk or losing their lives from doing Heroin. They need to see the truth to understand (obviously you don’t want to show gore to your pre-teen, though).
Trouble With Friends
Telling your children who they can and cannot be friends with never really works. It helps to make sure that your child has a good self-esteem, and that will help them attract a better set of friends. You also want to consider the fact that kids, especially high school aged ones, can be pretty judgmental, so if you’re never buying your child anything “in-style” they may also run with a lesser crowd of kids (as in the ones that get in trouble, steal things, and smoke).
Depression
Depression is not just an adult thing, and for a child that has lost a parent through death or even divorce depression can be pretty real for them. Learn how to talk to your child when they are depressed and about depression. Learn what the signs are so that you can be there for them and keep them from becoming a teen suicide statistic.
Sex
Children are often having sex at a younger age these days, for many reasons. That means you need to know how to talk to your children at any age about this difficult to discuss the subject (especially for a dad talking to a daughter). If they know the risks, and how to protect themselves, you will have a smart kid on your hands when their time comes.
