10 secrets your teenager would never want to reveal!
What would you rather have? Your teenager mad at you for stopping him or mad at you because you didn’t stop him before it was too late? Here are the Ten dangerous teenage indulgences that parents probably would never suspect their children could indulge in and teenagers are hardly likely to ever let loose!
Lost and never found: Virginity
Now this is ever parent’s nightmare. The when and how and whom with! If you have a teenage daughter then the worry factor is a wee bit more. With so much access to each other at high school and college one can't really expect teenaged children to have a sibling like connect with the opposite sex. For most parents it is just a question of 'when'!! Teenagers are hardly likely to wear a t-shirt proclaiming the fact that they have experienced the pleasure of having sex for the first time. They can be rather clever at hiding things from you. At this point if you keep tabs on your teenager girl or boy, you are going to have a rebellion on hand. So play your cards well and encourage your child to open up to you by you meeting him halfway. Tell him that you are aware of the changes that he is going through and quickly slip in the dangers of unprotected sex, pregnancies, STDs, AIDS and then pray that the coin will drop. At least your child knows you are on his side and the cold realization will hit him that every dad or mum knows about sex.
Smoking to fit in
Every teenager looks up to someone older than them as role models. And god help them of that role model is the 'Marlboro Cowboy'. If your teenager is suddenly avoiding passing close to you or reeks of deo then it would bear for you to scrutinize him for signs of the smoking habit. Generally teens huddle together in secret places like backyards, and gardens to indulge in smoking. It seems to give them a kick for doing something so dangerously adult and super cool. Then to mask it, they will crunch on mentholated sweets or heavy deo, something which you probably have done as a teen ager as well. If you are a nonsmoker then obviously you will be annoyed and even wondering how your teenager could have inherited all the wrong genes. Instead of bashing his or her head in set an example by NOT shouting or appearing annoyed. Counsel your teenager about the hazards of smoking and show him or her slide shows of the absolutely deleterious effects smoking can have on the lungs and body. Show your child that you trust him enough to take the right decision and support him if he has been smoking since 9 and help him kick the butt.
Playing truant
Just when you thought nothing could ever hoodwink you ever, you get a report that your teenage has been absent from school or college for an alarmingly long period. This is a serious matter indeed and should not be taken lightly. Sure as a teenager you bunked classes to watch a movie too, but times have changed. When you didn’t get caught what makes you think your son can’t do better? At the cost of sounding slightly paranoid, your child could easily be upto a range of activities in the time that he or she bunks school. We hope for your sake that he is out there collecting money in aid of the third world. This is a situation that requires confrontation and there are no two ways about it. First of all wait for a possible explanation and if none is proffered go for the jugular (Not literally). If you handle this with tact, you will have a teenager who will be remorseful about his/her absence from school. This is the time to build trust and encourage your child to open up about his friends and activities. You can be strict without being abusive and of course this will help your teenager understand who lays the law around the house.
Making money on the side
Now this could come through two sources - Money from your wallet or from a part time job. Teenagers are often afraid to let go off their primary source of income which is the pocket money that you so generously dole out. Let's face it! Which teenager was ever happy with what he got? As a teenager you had no choice but nowadays teenagers have lots of avenues to make money for their growing demands. As a parent you would be proud of the fact that your teenager wants to start working early and could be apprehensive that you might stop him from doing that as you have grand plans for his future. Try and see things from his perspective and if he has not announced his part time job details then you should break the ice by encouraging him to earn for himself. Tell him that you can still continue his pocket money if he divulges details about what he needs his job for.
Weekend getaways
Weekend charity assistance or Cub Scout thingies could be a front for a rave party. Your son probably owns a Smartphone so outsmart him! Tell him to come up on skype and let you have a look at the amazing charity ball that he is attending. Would bring tears to your eyes if it is indeed where he is. It would bring lots of tears if he weren’t there, anyway. Use technology to your advantage and get a GPRS positioning on your teenager.
Driving without a license
Another drive you should watch out for is underage driving. Kids blackmail parents with good grades just to be allowed to take the family heap out once in a while. This minor indulgence could cost someone their life. Sure 16-17 is a good age to learn to drive but not 13-14. That's underage driving and only a teenager can think of sneaking your car away to impress a girl friend. For the already initiated 18 year olds, it becomes an exercise to race on the highways in open convertibles and then cause mishaps. Always keep your car keys safely tucked away from teen hands.
Alcohol and recreational drugs
Some teens can drink a sailor down under the table twice over in a night. Perhaps the whiskey drinking, smart talking detective from TV is responsible for that. Or maybe perhaps it is someone closer. So teenage drinking is as rampant as teenage pregnancies. Teenage is a great time for you to impart some wisdom on the dangers of the bottle. Let your teens fully appreciate the difference between social drinking and drinking to be sociable. In cultures where alcohol is not frowned upon and easily available can have problems if the teen wishes to indulge his champagne wishes and caviar dreams at the cost of your cellar. The first signs of drunkenness or wayward behavior are to be taken very seriously indeed.
Credit card details
The internet can make several avenues like live sex cams and chat lines where all they require is a credit card number presumably to verify age. If your teen gets hold of your credit card details, he gets the pleasure while you get the moans. Your credit card could be billed wrongly by dummy sites to charge you over and above what your son took from them. So keep bank account details and credit card numbers safe and confidential. It's not that junior is a criminal, it is just that someone else might not be entirely above board.
Internet friends
Your teenage daughter could be the victim of some serious internet stalking. If she falls prey to nice things about herself told by a nice sounding-Mediterranean looking-completely fake pedophile, then you could have trouble on your hands. Teenagers are hardly likely to reveal their internet friends or for that matter it probably never occurred to them that the friendly pat by an old neighbor was just a warm up exercise for malefic intent. Sure you can't be everywhere but you could give your teenager faith enough that they might speak out about someone without feeling guilty or afraid. You could monitor your teenager’s social networking sites or surfing time.
Mail order medication
Most teenagers hate their looks or are too over confident about them. There have been instances where teenagers have mail-ordered medications and quack remedies that offer miraculous results in terms of weight gain or loss or enhance beauty in a matter of days to teenagers. This is another area of concern for you as a parent. Finally a quick apology to teens for rattling on them. Of course no parent can be alert 100% of the time, but even if you exchange notes with other parents that will help immensely in avoiding half the trouble that teens could get themselves in sooner or later.
