Has your teen started hanging with the wrong crowd? It’s easy for teenagers to develop inappropriate friendships. They are going through a time of change and peer pressure can be a huge factor during high school. Many teens hang out with the wrong crowd because of the reputation they develop.
The question is, how can you stop them from hanging out with bad friends? While it can be extremely difficult, below are some great tips that can help you deal with inappropriate friends.
Don’t Criticize Their Friends
When your teen is hanging out with people you don’t agree with, you might find yourself giving them all of the reasons why they shouldn’t. However, criticizing their friends isn’t going to end well. In fact, it could make them hang out with them even more.
As a parent, you aren’t always going to like your child’s friends. That’s OK; they aren’t your friends, after all. Unless the friends are getting your child into trouble, it’s important to hold back your criticisms and instead try to find out more about them. Invite them over so you can get to know them better and determine what it is your child likes about them.
Try to Control Where They Go More
This tip is easier for younger teens, but it can still be effective for older teens in some cases. If they are hanging out with bad friends in specific places, try to stop them going there. For example, they may be going to the mall with their friends after school. Setting a curfew after school so they know to come straight home can limit how much time they are spending with the wrong people.
By restricting where they go, you also aren’t putting it across that you don’t like their friends. So, it’s a clever way to reduce the amount of time they spend with inappropriate friends.
Don’t Let Them Hang Out with Bad Friends
Be very careful when it comes to banning your teen from hanging out with friends. It can lead to potentially rebellious behavior where they sneak around to see them without your knowledge.
However, if the friends are doing something illegal, you are perfectly within your rights to stop your teen from hanging out with them. You can let them know that you can’t stop them being friends, but while they are engaging in illegal behavior, your child won’t be associating with them outside of school.
Set Clear Consequences
You’re going to face more than a few battles when you’re trying to stop your teen hanging out with the wrong crowd. So, you’ll want to be prepared by ensuring there are clear consequences in place. That means, if your teen does defy you, there will be a consequence of some sort.
It isn’t always possible to stop your teen hanging out with the wrong crowd. However, the tips above can help to minimize the issue. Rather than simply banning them from seeing or talking to the people you don’t approve of, make an effort to get to know the friends and determine whether or not they are bad kids.
