Raising a teenager today is quite a different world than it was just 25 years ago and certainly a much different one than two generations ago.
A lot of teenagers have a great deal of freedom away from their parents as well with both parents working full time jobs leaving them to get themselves in more trouble says a Cleveland DUI attorney.
For the first time in a decade, the teen pregnancy rate has risen as well as the number of teenagers who are being sent to rehabilitation centers to stop their addictions to drugs and alcohol according to a Cleveland DUI lawyer.
What can parents and schools do to turn this problem around and get teenagers headed on a better path? That is what will be discussed in this article.
One of the biggest controversial topics in schools still is whether they should teach student sex education to be based on abstinence or whether it should be based on current facts and teaching them about safety options such as contraception.
The reality is that by the time teenagers turn 18 years old, the majority of them are sexually active and have not listened to the abstinence lessons that they were taught.
Proponents of teaching contraception to teens say it is time to face reality and that teenagers are having sex and they need to be taught the consequences of their actions through educating them about STDs, pregnancy and the various options of contraception and how to use them properly.
Drugs and alcohol use among teenagers has been a problem for many generations and one that parents of teens have had to deal with for a long time.
The drinking age was risen from 18 to 21 in all of the states because they associated a large number of car accidents with teenagers who were also drinking.
The new wave of drug abuse is now using prescription medications irresponsibly.
Parents need to lock up all of their alcohol or medications from their teenagers whether they think they are doing that or not but a great majority of teens are.
Some newly built high schools in the country are trying to prevent teenagers from bringing illegal drugs to school grounds by not providing them with lockers to hide it and by having drug sniffing canines patrol regularly.
Educating kids in elementary school and then again in the beginning of middle school on the dangers of drug and alcohol use using graphic images may be helpful.
Also, keeping your teenager busy in sports, music and other after school activities is one of the best ways to reduce the use of drugs and alcohol too.
Another problem with teenagers is the number of car accidents that happen.
The states that require less hours prior to a license or that allow permits to younger teens are the ones with the greater number of crashes.
The laws should be consistent state to state and the requirements for driving hours and instruction should be higher as well.