As a parent, you will have a natural instinct and desire to want to keep your kids safe. But, it’s fair to say that as your kids get older this becomes more dangerous. By the time you reach the teenage years, there are a lot of dangers that you need to be aware of and must understand. You should also consider taking preemptive measures to guarantee that your child is protected from these dangers and isn’t left at risk. Here are some of the dangers that we are referring to and the key steps that you can take.
Bullying
First, you should consider the issue of bullying. Bullying can impact children at any age. It’s possible that your child will be bullied in the first years of school or a little later in life. One survey has revealed that more than 70% of teens claim they were bullied before they reached 18. Some parents have argued that bullying is essentially systemic and that there needs to be more focus on this issue.
The problem with bullying is that it’s difficult to prevent or even deal with when it happens. No one really understands why a child is bullied. It’s not always the case that they look different but children who are quiet and targeted are often targeted. Some parents teach their children to ignore bullying in the hope that the bully will get bored. Others teach them to stand their ground. There is no right answer here. The important thing is that your child does have an open dialogue with you and feels comfortable enough to talk about what’s happening to them at school. That way, you can make sure that things don’t quickly go south because a child feels alone.
Stranger Danger
As your kids get older, they will start to use more technology and access it independently. You can’t always watch what your child is doing online or who your child is speaking to on their phone. The first step is to make sure that you think about when your child is ready for this type of tech. Many parents are not comfortable getting their child a phone until they are at least 11 or 12. However, this age is declining every year and you might feel pressured to get them a device like this earlier. You might want to judge this based on how mature and trustworthy your child is.
If you are getting them a phone, consider adding them to your network with a refer a friend deal that many networks do offer. As well as being a cheaper solution, it will make it easier to track and monitor their usage indirectly.
In terms of who your child speaks to online, the best form of defence is always going to be education. Don’t just tell them they can’t speak to people they don’t know online. Explain to them why this is the case and how it might be dangerous. Or, let them speak to who they want as long as they tell you about it. Again, it’s all about being open and honest, while encouraging your child to do the same.
Addictions
When parents think about addictions they often immediately focus on drugs and alcohol. It’s true addictions like this can impact children but it’s certainly not the only addiction that you need to be aware of. There are a range of different addictions that could ultimately impact your child. For instance, they could develop a sugar addiction, gaming addiction, or tech addiction. These can all be dangerous in their own right and it’s important to understand that researchers have suggested high levels of inactivity can be just as dangerous as nicotine.
If you are worried about these types of addictions, then we recommend that you do explore the signs that your child might be addicted to something. Typical signs include changes to mood and behavior if they can not access something like their games console. You might also want to monitor how much time they spend playing games. Remember, games are not bad for children and they provide a range of mental health benefits. But you still don’t want them gaming all day and it’s just one addiction you need to watch out for.
Self Harm
Similar to bullying, self-harm is far more common among young teens and young children than most parents realize. It can also be described as another type of addiction that could impact your kids. How is self-harm addictive? When you self-harm, you cut yourself or hurt your body. This releases endorphins which feel fantastic. It’s the same sensation that you get running a marathon or putting your body under a similar type of pressure. This feeling is what makes self-harm addictive. It gives a clear form of relief and that’s also why it’s incredibly dangerous.
Another common misconception is that teens always put their self-harm marks on display. They don’t and many will take significant measures to ensure that people never see their self-harm marks. Be wary if your child is anxious about them seeing your body. If you are worried about self-harm, then you need to discuss this with your child. If they are self-harming, it’s important that you put measures in place to provide the support that they need.
Bad Relationships
Unfortunately, you are not able to wrap your child in cotton wool for their entire life, although many parents would love to keep hold of their little darlings. With teenagers comes hormones, these hormones bring a whole host of problems. During the teenage years relationships start to flourish, however, they can hit many bumps along the way. Due to teenagers being stubborn and moody, friendships and relationships can become strained and may even end for no real reason at all. Ensure you make your teenager aware of toxic relationships and watch out for signs that they are in one. Be very wary as a parent or carer about telling your child that a particular friend isn’t good for them. This can cause them to gravitate towards that particular person more as a way of rebelling against you.
Trouble On The Road
Eventually, your teen is going to want to get out onto the road and start driving. If that’s the case, then you again need to think about how you are going to keep them safe. There are a few ways that you can do this. First, you must make sure that you are choosing the right car or vehicle for them to drive. You might, for instance, be thinking about purchasing a second-hand vehicle. While this will save you money it might also not be as safe as a newer vehicle with more safety features.
Cars these days can have a wide variety of different safety features including drive assist technology. This will ensure that your kid is not going to have any issue staying on the road even when they are just starting out.
It’s worth remembering that a lot of people will experience at least one collision within their first year on the road. One of the ways that you can handle this is by ensuring that they do feel comfortable driving independently. You also need to stress the importance of safety and guarantee that they are not taking unnecessary risks.
Legal Trouble
Finally, you need to think about how you can help your child avoid issues with the law as they get older. If a child does get in trouble with the law it’s probably going to be a minor issue. For instance, they might get caught shoplifting. Or, they could be driving a little too fast on the road. Instead of instinctively punishing behavior like this, you need to make sure that you understand the reason behind it. For instance, if a child is shoplifting and there are no issues with money, then they could just be looking for attention. They may want more focus from you as a parent.
It’s easy to assume that negative behavior like this is due to someone that they are spending time with such as a friend or partner. However, often this is not going to be the case. Instead, you need to address your child’s behavior rather than trying to pass the blame to someone else.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key dangers that you might need to be aware of as a parent, particularly once your child reaches the teenage years. The good news is that if you take the right steps, then you can guarantee that your child is protected and remains safe. Of course, this is something of a balancing act. As well as keeping your kids safe, you also want to ensure that they do develop their independence and make their own decisions or even their own mistakes. After all, this is the only way they are going to learn. But you can still be there to lend a helping hand when needed.
