Are You Ready For These Parenting Trials And Tribulations?

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As a parent, it’s fair to say that you are going to face a lot of challenges. Some of these issues have simple or obvious solutions while others are a lot more complicated.

The good news is that you can prepare for any of the problems that you might have to deal with as a parent. That way you can guarantee that you are giving your kids the best advice and ensuring that you are providing the care and support that they need.

Bullying

Bullying is a significant issue because it’s difficult to know what the right answer is. You might think that you should tell the school or speak to the parents, but this can make the situation a lot worse. On the other hand, if you leave the children to deal with it, things can escalate.

It’s not uncommon for bullying, particularly severe bullying, to have disastrous consequences. The best way to handle this issue is to make sure that you are maintaining an open dialogue with your children. At the very least, it’s important to make sure that you know what’s going on and whether things are getting better or worse.

Kids who are being bullied often feel as though they have no one to turn to. You need to make sure that you are there for them and ready to help. Be aware that these days a lot of bullying does occur through the use of tech devices.

You should be wary and check whether your children are facing issues such as nasty messages through social media. If you are worried that your child is being bullied, you need to assess how serious the situation is before taking the necessary action.

Self Harm

Self-harm is on the rise. More than 75% of people report that they have self harmed at some point by the time they reach 18. That’s important because there are a lot of misconceptions about self-harm. First, it’s not always related to depression. There’s an entire society online that essentially glorifies self-harm and champions vulnerable people who engage with it. This is frightening but true and it’s important for parents to understand.

Second, self-harm isn’t always for attention. A lot of self-harm occurs in areas of the body where no one is likely to notice or see. Self-harm can go undetected for years and it’s common for parents to be completely unaware that their child is self-harming.

One of the ways that you avoid this is by ensuring that you are encouraging your child to address their emotions, rather than ignoring them or keeping them bottled up.

If you do discover that your child is self-harming, then it’s important to realize that it can be like an addiction to a drug that they feel they need. It should be treated this way and that means that cold turkey isn’t the answer. You need to provide them with coping mechanisms and help them stop over time.

For self-harm, 100 days clean is often the hardest goal to reach. If you hit this goal, you will likely be able to ensure that your child doesn’t harm themselves for a year and by then it’s unlikely they will again. However, do note that self-harm can come in a variety of different forms and it isn’t always as clear as cuts on the wrist.

Crime

You might think that your child is never going to be involved in a criminal act or accused of a crime. However, there’s no guarantee here and it is possible that your child does end up on the wrong side of the law.

The question is how will you deal with this? You will need to speak with your child to determine their guilt and then look for the right criminal defense attorney to help them with their case.

Most crimes a child will be involved in will be minor. However, this isn’t always the case and you’d be surprised how much kids can get up to if they go down the wrong path.

To avoid issues with the law, you need to make sure that you are teaching your kids right from wrong. It’s important that you do approach this from both a moral and ethical stance to ensure that you are covering all the bases here.

Sex, Drugs And Rock And Roll

Finally, it’s worth thinking about the issue of sex and drugs. It might not seem like it but these two things are quite similar. Both can have lasting consequences for your child’s life.

So, let’s get started with some rather worrying facts. First, more kids are starting puberty earlier. For instance, girls are hitting puberty about a year earlier than they did in the eighties. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be sexually active earlier but it could lead to the same thoughts and urges that trigger this choice.

The main thing to focus on is education. It’s important that kids are aware of the dangers and potential consequences of sex. This is about STIs and of course pregnancy. Most kids don’t really understand the potential ramifications here. They should learn this in school but the responsibility might fall on you.

Drugs impact your child’s life in a way that is similar to sex and in other ways quite different. For instance, you will need to make sure that they understand the dangers of addiction and the problems this can bring for your kids.

This becomes more confusing because cannabis – once banned – is now widely accepted and legal in a lot of areas. However, it is still dangerous and should be treated like cigarettes or alcohol. Kids need to be made aware of the dangers. If they do want to try you might also want to consider encouraging them to use it in your house where you can supervise.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key challenges that you can face as a parent and the ways to handle these issues the right way. In doing so, you can make sure that you don’t end up in a situation where you are unprepared for these dangers and where you have failed to prepare your children as well.

*This article is based on personal suggestions and/or experiences and is for informational purposes only. This should not be used as professional advice. Please consult a professional where applicable.