Although our teenage years should be some of the most carefree in our lives, they often are full of stressful situations. Some of the stress we put on ourselves but at other times, it might just be a matter of circumstances. That is why it is important to prepare your children in the event of some of those issues and this is a brilliant way to do it.
If there is one problem children must go through, it is peer pressure. When they are around a group of other teenagers, it is a very real problem and most children are concerned about the possibility of being made fun of or losing their social standing. That is why this father came up with a plan for his children, and you might just want to consider doing it yourself.
This father way tired of seeing his children have to deal with this problem. His solution is not only easy to implement, it allows the children to get out of any difficult situation quickly and easily. The father is Bert Fulks, and he offers this tool to his 3 children. He is also a counselor and educator who helps teens with addiction. He asked his students a simple question:
“How many of you have found yourself in situations where things started happening that you weren’t comfortable with, but you stuck around, mainly because you felt like you didn’t have a way out?”
Every child raised their hand. That si when he formulated this brilliant idea. He shared it on his blog:
“I still recall my first time drinking beer at a friend’s house in junior high school-I hated it, but I felt cornered. As an adult, that now seems silly, but it was my reality at the time. “Peer pressure” was a frivolous term for an often silent, but very real thing; and I certainly couldn’t call my parents and ask them to rescue me. I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. ”
His children now have an easy way out. If his children find themselves in a position and they don’t know the way out, they are to text their father and include a capital X in the message. Once it is received, the parent will call the child and tell them they have to leave. It’s the perfect excuse for the child and the parent gets blamed.
There is one other piece of the puzzle that needs to be implemented:
“The X-plan comes with the agreement that we will pass no judgments and ask no questions (even if he is 10 miles away from where he’s supposed to be).”
Trust is a 2 way street, so if we want our children to trust us, we must trust them. If we fall short, they will not be likely to use the plan.
More than likely, you can think of a time in your life when you could have used this plan. It is a great way for your children to avoid danger without losing face at the same time.
At the conclusion of Fulk’s blog post, he has one other piece of advice for parents: “I beg you to share this piece. If this somehow gives just one kid a way out of a bad situation, we can all feel privileged to have been a part of that.”
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