The worrying things you must talk about with your Teenager

There are some things most parents would rather not talk about regarding their children.  But you need to!

• Social media safety- Most older kids are not on social media and in fairness they don’t need to be. Keep social media for the teenagers and keep them away from it, if you possibly can. If your kid is using social media they need to be taught about posting, digital footprint and the basics of how it works.
• Sexting- This is something many parents refuse to believe their child could do but young people are doing it more and more. Sadly, this is a part of life unless you discuss it sooner rather than later you are ignoring an issue that might occur. If your child has a phone they need to know about photos and what is and isn’t appropriate to share with others.
• Pornography- It is said that more and more children are accessing pornography and it is a very real and scary thought. The internet makes it easy for young people to access it and unless your children are warned about this, they may feel it is acceptable to access these sites. As the sites are unregulated god knows what your child may come across.
• Drugs and alcohol- No parent wants to consider that their child can become embroiled in alcohol or indeed drugs, but it does happen and the only way you can manage it is if you prepare your child for those kinds of temptations. Discuss drugs and the dangers, be open and talk about drugs and the impact it has on people’s lives. Alcohol is something all teenagers will come across and again if they are going to experiment it is best they are knowledgeable about the risks involved if they don’t take care of themselves. It should be noted that drugs are illegal and alcohol consumption for under 18’s is against the law. However, if your child is over 18 they still need to know how to drink responsibly to avoid putting themselves as physical or mental risk.
• Solvent abuse- Again, no one is thinking their child will abuse their body with solvents, but children do everyday all over the world. Now, you need to discuss this issue and remind your child of the extremely toxic poisons they can put into their body.
• Cigarettes- While cigarettes are very much a part of many people’s lives, kids should be aware of the dangers smoking brings. Even if you are a smoker yourself, it is your job to teach your child that smoking is bad for health.  
• Bullying and personal safety- Bullying is a huge problem for todays kids and though you may not think your child can become a bully it is your job to ensure they understand how to not become a bully and how to cope if they are being bullied while asking for help with these issues.
• Sex and consent- While they may have been taught this in school it is best that you discuss sex and sexual contact with your child once they are the right age. Regardless of whether they have boyfriends or girlfriends it should be discussed as you never know what your child may be getting up to behind your back. Consent too, is a real issue now and again, your child needs to be aware. Girl or boy they need to be respectful of other people’s bodies and learn about consent.