I think JBH has the right idea. I also agree with Helloqatar in that parents should not be far from their children until their children are 'mature' enough to make certain decisions on their own.
My daughter is still small, so I am not facing this problem directly, at least not yet...... but if I look back at my own childhood I wish certain things had been different. I was blessed (and still am) with parents that gave me the trust to do as I pleased to a certain extent; but I didn't live in a crime ridden, drug infested society, so I was quite protected anyway. I was always 'mature' for my age as a kid, but that doesn't mean you don't get peer pressured into doing stupid things....it's just a fact of growing up.
I spent 4 years in boarding school............far away from my parents. And even though we were all under strict supervision, we still did things we weren't supposed to. And you know what.....not having my parents there made it all the easier. What I found hard was the dissapointed look my parents would give me if I let them down. That was my biggest deterrant. I remember, even as an adult, whilst I was living in their house I would always creep into the bedroom as my mom slept and tell her I was home, even if it was at 3am. Because I knew my mom wouldn't sleep well if I didn't.
We can only hope that we teach them to be concientious and morally correct. That they will pay the consequences of their actions if they make a mistake. But one thing I am sure of; the larger the age gap between kid and caregiver, the harder it is to communicate. My parents are very young (well, they were :) ), but I would not have communicated that well with my grandmother, that's for sure.
Love and respect for your parents stop you making those really stupid decisions, I think.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi
I think JBH has the right idea. I also agree with Helloqatar in that parents should not be far from their children until their children are 'mature' enough to make certain decisions on their own.
My daughter is still small, so I am not facing this problem directly, at least not yet...... but if I look back at my own childhood I wish certain things had been different. I was blessed (and still am) with parents that gave me the trust to do as I pleased to a certain extent; but I didn't live in a crime ridden, drug infested society, so I was quite protected anyway. I was always 'mature' for my age as a kid, but that doesn't mean you don't get peer pressured into doing stupid things....it's just a fact of growing up.
I spent 4 years in boarding school............far away from my parents. And even though we were all under strict supervision, we still did things we weren't supposed to. And you know what.....not having my parents there made it all the easier. What I found hard was the dissapointed look my parents would give me if I let them down. That was my biggest deterrant. I remember, even as an adult, whilst I was living in their house I would always creep into the bedroom as my mom slept and tell her I was home, even if it was at 3am. Because I knew my mom wouldn't sleep well if I didn't.
We can only hope that we teach them to be concientious and morally correct. That they will pay the consequences of their actions if they make a mistake. But one thing I am sure of; the larger the age gap between kid and caregiver, the harder it is to communicate. My parents are very young (well, they were :) ), but I would not have communicated that well with my grandmother, that's for sure.
Love and respect for your parents stop you making those really stupid decisions, I think.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi