Thriving Youth: 8 Things We Must Teach Our Children

5.  Teach your boys to both protect themselves AND others. I was most disturbed that people talked about how sad it was that these young men’s futures (mostly football) were ruined. What about this young lady’s future. Lets talk to our boys about becoming MEN, not dogs, players, and pimps in the name of never getting played. Help your boys embrace their emotions as they protect themselves and the women in their lives. MAN is something that we seldom talk to our boys about unless it is walking out cultural machismo. Responsibility, Character, Sacrifice, Legacy…….those are MAN words.

6.  Listen more than you talk. Our kids will tell us what is going on in their lives if we would sometime just listen without responding at every pause; and hear them instead of waiting for our time to talk. They want to talk to us, even when it seems lie they don’t. However, at some point they will shut down if they feel talking to us is useless. LISTEN to your babies.

7.  Social Media. Talk to your kids about the permanent nature of what is on-line. The young lady in Ohio will never be able to get those pictures back. Naked on the floor, surrounded by people she thought were her friends. But what about those who post pics online and say things that are inappropriate. We must talk to our kids about the reality that they can negatively affect their future before it starts by using social media the wrong way.

8.  Give them GOD. Character, the desire to do right when no one is watching is what all our children need. It is what prepares them to deal with the worst the world has to offer when they are alone.

The real truth is that the entire situation in Ohio was avoidable if REAL PARENTS were there in the first place. That type of party does not happen when parents create the right environment. Best believe, that good parents cannot control every environment, but it is a shame that the media has seldom reported about the whereabouts of the parents THAT night. All of the kids involved have suffered, and all of them made poor decisions. That is the message to our babies. ONE bad decision can affect your life forever. Lets talk to our children without ceasing, equipping them with the tools to make the best decisions they can.

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