The Importance of Guidance for Teens

Temptation Abounds

• Many teens have more freedom that they ever had before. Working can mean your teen has more spending money. He probably has more unsupervised time than he did when he was younger. If your teen has a driver̵7;s license and access to a car, he could spend unsupervised time away from home. Many teens date and attend social events away from the keen eye of watchful adults. These freedoms bring temptations that can seem too appealing to refuse. Teens who use social media use tobacco, alcohol and drugs more often than those who aren't logging onto sites such as MySpace or Facebook, according to a survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The study did not conclusively determine that social media caused the increase, but researchers felt that seeing images of substance abuse might make teens more likely to assume abuse was acceptable or commonplace. CASA concludes that parents should monitor teens' social media use to reduce substance abuse.

Actions Have Consequences

• Actions have consequences -- some good and some bad. More than 329,000 babies were born to teen moms in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This presents a decrease in the number of teen pregnancies, perhaps because teens are less sexually active and those who are active use birth control more consistently, suggests the CDC. Teen alcohol and cigarette use has decreased, but illegal drug use increased, according to statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Consequences of teen sex and substance abuse can derail career and academic plans because of teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol addiction, brushes with the law and medical and mental issues that accompany these activities. Heavy use of marijuana that begins in the teen years and continues can reduce IQ, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Life Experience Helps

• With the plethora of temptation, advice from someone who has ̶0;been there and done that̶1; can help teens see how today̵7;s choices affect tomorrow̵7;s opportunities. Adult life experience could also help teens walk away from some temptations, as teens see how those who exercised self-control have experienced more success than those who did not.

Providing Guidance

• Torey Richards, a licensed mental health counselor who works with teens, says that teens want and need parental guidance. Richards says that teens with the most problems have parents who are too busy or don̵7;t know how to guide teens. You can provide more than advice. You can be a role model and active listener so your teen can decide what experiences are worth having and which ones should be avoided. She can ask questions and talk about the pressures she faces. If your teen has questions, you, or another trusted adult, could point out sources of information, answer questions honestly and pose more questions that help her find answers based on her core values and a clear view of the consequences. Stay active in your teen̵7;s life and let her know you have faith in her judgment. Be clear about limits and consequences and express your unconditional love as you affirm that you will lovingly allow your teen to experience the consequences of good and bad choices.