Troubles in Youth

There are innumerable ways of youth getting into trouble in today's world. Youth are exposed to the media, the internet, and easily available drugs and addictive substances. While hormonal problems leading to mood swings in young people can be corrected using medication, social troubles are not easy to solve. The old saying that prevention is better than cure applies to troubled youth and parents should swing into action the moment signs of trouble appear to nip the problem in the bud.

Encouraging sporting activity in which the adolescent shows a talent or general interest is one way of keeping him or her away from trouble. Excelling in the sporting activity will keep the adolescent out of trouble and help them to make an effort to beat the competition. Team sports help the adolescent to have a healthy interaction with peers in a positive way. Encouraging baseball in inner city schools helped to keep youth out of troubled and gave them a positive outlook in some cities. Parents should however steer clear of pressuring the child to overwork at the sport or take up a sport that does not interest the adolescent because this may have an adverse effect on the child.

Parents have found that encouraging religion and spiritual activity in children is another way of keeping children out of trouble. Encouraging children to join volunteer church activities, Sunday school or charity programs will keep adolescents out of trouble. It will also help interaction with other children who belong to the same congregation who will be a positive influence on the child. Children will be subject to supervision of other religious adults who will be able to give proper spiritual direction to the child.

Nurturing talent is another way by which parents can keep adolescents out of trouble. Encouraging musical talent or a talent in art, dancing or developing a hobby is a method of encouraging adolescents to find a positive direction in life and keep them out of trouble. Talent development increases self esteem and gives a meaning and purpose to the life of the teenager. However, parents must allow the teenager to achieve goals at a steady pace. Forcing too much achievement may again have a negative effect on the child.

Positive parenting will keep adolescents out of trouble. Parents should lead regulated lifestyles and set examples for adolescents to follow. They should discipline the adolescent without being dictatorial. Parents should be friends and mentors of their adolescents and make every effort to spend quality time with them. They should monitor the adolescent closely and seek medical and psychological help if the need arises.

Encouraging volunteering is a method of keeping adolescents out of trouble. Local governments and social service organizations have community service programs which parents could sign up for with their adolescents to encourage meaningful activity in their spare time.

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