We all know on of those mothers who parade around in her teenagers clothes or the one whose home is the teenage hangout and she’s the life of the party. What about the dad who tries to use the latest catch phrases and tries to dance like his teenage son’s friends. If this sounds familiar because it is you… stop doing that.
There is a commercial right now where the daughter says something to the effect of “mom, just because we’re FaceBook friends doesn’t mean you can write I love you all over may wall”, then the son says “dad you don’t have to tweet every few minutes” as dad tweets “I am sitting on the deck”. As fun as it might be to keep up with all that is young and hip, if you are a parent doing these things you are either torturing your kids with embarrassment or you are too busy being a “friend” to be a parent.
While more teens today like their parents than a generation ago, according to the NY Time column Motherlode , some parents take the need to feel liked too far. As revealed by one teenager in Calgary, his friends parents let them do “whatever they want”. “They’ll buy them seven pairs of jeans”, he continues,”let them stay out all night without a care for what they’re doing, (and) they don’t pay attention.”
While these parents are bad, I am talking about something far worse. Parents who act like their teens It can cause marital problems because the “grown up” parent could feel the burden of parenting the entire family. Parents who act like teens have been known to give in when kids act for alcohol, and some go as far as supplying drugs. Some parents who act like teens and spend too much time with teens end up having inappropriate relationships with their kids friends.
Don’t get me wrong, it is OK to enjoy your kids company and to have some fun with them and their friends from time to time. The parent however, while being engaging, should take a calm back seat to the kids activity. They should be friendly enough to be allowed to be a fly on the wall, keeping a pulse of what is going on with your kids’ friends, but now so close that they need to be monitored themselves.
If you liked this you should also read my other posts at the home blog, the homeschooling blog, the parents blog, and the frugal blog. You can read my recent posts here.
Also read:
Can Parents Ever Compete With a Teen’s Friends?
When Did You Start Appreciating Your Parents?
How Old Are Those Teen Idols Really?
Setting Age Guidelines for Teens