Invisible Influence On Teenagers Essay

Teens try to be like friends, media personalities, musicians, and sports figures in an effort to establish self worth. You can't expect to keep your teens in a bubble. However, you wouldn't leave your teen in the care of people who show the morals and values seen in today's television shows. The first step is to know what are the invisible influences on your teens. Teens are in desperate need of good role models and mentors. Today this role has to be returned to the parents. It is your opportunity and responsibility in this phase to guide your teen toward individuals of whom you approve. It is your responsibility to guide him on the most important decisions in his life. There is a delicate balance as in any situation where you can push your child into rebellion. You have the right not to allow undesirable peo¬ple into your home. You need to size people up pretty quickly and express your concerns. You need to learn how to take a stand, set up bottom lines, and get the social support to carry out your decisions. You can seek out positive role models, including

Kids have always felt a need to belong, to fit in, and to feel safe. Today belonging to a gangor a certain group makes them feel cool. Anytime young people with similar ideas join together to form a group, that provides them with a sense of safety and belonging. Thereare positive group with common interests, as well as negative groups who are glued together due to fear of isolation. Bullying and teasing have always been a part of growing up and the best way to save your own skin is to belong to the group that does the teasing and harassing. However, this kind of a safety factor is an illusion. Gangs have their own inherent pitfalls. The gang culture will approve of violence, whether in the form of emotional harass¬ment or, at its worst, violence against others as a means of securing a sense of power. We can help our child navigate our violent world by discussing ways to stay safe other than joining a