Teenagers and Responsibility
Teenagers may not be the most responsible group of people in the world. Though I am saying this at the risk of labeling and stereotyping people, I think it is true in many cases. I still remember being a teenager and how it felt back then. I had my sense of responsibility, no doubt about that, but the sense of adventure and being invincible oftentimes overwhelmed my sensibilities.
One of our readers sent in a link to a video on YouTube, suggesting that we take a look at it and see what we think. You know what? I got scared while watching the video. Maybe I am being the “paranoid mom” but watching that young girl lie to her mom over the phone and through text message just unnerved me. The video was short – it was actually an ad for Safeco Insurance – but it detailed how the teenaged girl told her mom that she and friends were going to rent a movie then go straight home to her friend’s house. As it turned out, she went to a party at someone else’s house.
Issues that I feel are important:
-not telling the truth or feeling that she had to hide her activities from her parents
-drinking when she had to drive home
-being pressured by her friend (who by the way was pushy).
I got scared because I would not want my teenager to act that way. I want my children to grow up as responsible human beings who will not feel the need to hide such things from their parents. I want my children to be able to realize what is right and wrong and to have their own mind. Tough, huh? But I think it’s every parent’s dream. The question is, how do you encourage responsibility in your children?
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January 30th, 2008 at 7:56 am
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February 2nd, 2008 at 4:06 am
[...] Editors at Parenting Blog watched the video, and asked their readers, “How do YOU encourage responsibility with teens?” Click here to see more: http://www.parenting-blog.net/teens/teenagers-and-responsibility/ [...]
March 19th, 2008 at 4:22 am
Great post. Encouraging responsibility I believe always starts with open and honest communication. As a teen there are so many things to pull you away from what your mind know is the right thing to do.
I remember the day my daughter was at a party and called me to come get her because some of the kids started smoking weed. Her friends wouldnt DARE call their moms in fear that their mothers would freak out. I have to say – I am very proud to have a Daughter that will call me no matter what the circumstances are.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
[...] her article, Teresa presents some tips on how to encourage your child to be a responsible driver. One of the most important things is to set a good example. This, of course, does not apply only [...]
May 25th, 2008 at 4:00 am
Good post, Teenagers can be a nightmare, and teaching responsibility is a huge thing
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August 28th, 2008 at 1:51 am
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March 19th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
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