How could my daughter be in danger? I know what they are doing. How could have I not seen this coming?
These are questions that are all too commonly asked. All parents know what their daughters are up too right? Sadly, this is not the truth, nor is it a lie. Here are the basic facts. Children need attention, and the less that they receive the more likely they are to indulge in dangerous behaviors. Larger families, especially ones with younger children, force parents to split their attention in more directions. Thus the child in question receives less.
It is too common to see children today playing with drugs having intercourse and even getting pregnant at younger and younger ages. Sadly the more affected seem to be the young women of our families. When the attention starts to run thin due to larger families they begin to look for it in other places. With friends, boys, and older men. The family structure is very important to a young woman’s growth and development. The father and mother figures being the biggest determining factors. But what can be done about this, and how can larger families with so much already on their plate hope to cope with and stop this dangerous behavior?
The answer is simple. Know the signs, this is always the first step in knowing your opponent.
Change in dress…..Your child begins dressing in things that they would not normally wear.
Attitude changes…..Abrupt changes in the way your child talks and acts is an early warning sign.
Red eyes……This is a danger sign that your child has now advanced to the drug or alcohol stage of their dysfunctional behavior
Home late?……child does not call and is not home when the curfew or assigned time is
Sneaking out….Your child is no longer letting you know where they are going or when they are leaving
Lying!……One must be careful in this area lying about things like drugs and location of where they were going is a bad sign
Skipping class….Cutting is a sign that your child no longer respects the rules of society and is in effect the definition of antisocial behavior
Now that you know some of the earliest and bad warning signs how do you deal with this?
Sadly in some cases by the time these signs are recognized the child in question is too far gone. In some cases though there is still hope. Get in home help such as a family counselor or even out patient help, such as rehab. BUT be warned, children with true antisocial behaviorism may act that they are getting better and will wait it through until they are no longer in danger of being caught then the cycle will start over again.
So how can you prevent this? If your daughter is in danger of becoming antisocial actions must be taken as soon as possible. After school activities are a good method of keeping teens out of trouble, even getting counsel help before the warning signs appear can have an immediate effect on your daughter. But the number one way to prevent this is too talk. Stop and ask your daughter how she feels about situations, explain too her about any mistakes you made as a teen and how they changed your life. And above all let her know that you do love her and will always do so, moreover tell her the only mistake you make is the one that you don’t learn from. Truthfully moms and dads need to be aware of a daughter’s needs both emotionally and physiologically, you are her stronghold and are the number one way to prevent these mannerisms. You are responsible for your children until there is nothing more you can do.
