So you don’t like your kid’s peers? Not too keen on his friends and their influence on him? What should a parent do when they’re not comfortable with the company their child is keeping. How much should they intervene? The answer is different for every family. Here’s this week’s Tips on Teens question:
“The other day, my son’s computer screen was on and I saw his ‘friends’ were cyberbullying a kid, as well as making racial slurs. Though my son was not the one making the comments, it bothered me that the group he was associating with was. I confronted my son and told him he was no longer allowed to have contact with those so called ‘friends.’ Now he’s super angry and feels I betrayed him by looking at his computer. What should a parent do if they don’t like the peer group their teenager is associating with? How involved should the parent be and at what point is a parent not respecting a teen’s right to choose their friends?”
IS IT JUST LOCKER ROOM TALK?
There’s nothing new about “locker room” talk amongst teenage boys. The culture of “roasting” others is at an all time high though. None of us wants our kids to be using racial slurs. It’s hard to legislate that because you can’t watch them every minute of the day. When you give your kid a computer or phone, you have to set the rules and expectations as you feel is right for your family. Your kid should have some privacy. Although, it’s important to teach our children safe “messaging etiquette.” If you discover someone is the target of bullying, you should take further action like call the school.
For additional reading, check out: https://teentherapycenter.com/when-your-good-kid-has-bad…/
Clinical Director Kent Toussaint answers your parenting questions every Wednesday at 12:00pm in our weekly segment Tips On Teens on Facebook Live. Have questions about parenting kids and teens? Send them to: TipsOnTeens@TeenTherapyCenter.com. We love to hear from you!
Head on over to our Facebook page every Wednesday at 12:00pm to watch LIVE! Check out our page here – https://www.facebook.com/TeenTherapyCenter/
If you have more questions or would like more information, please contact our Clinical Director, Kent Toussaint at 818.697.8555.