How?
Several of my friends and I have taken in kids who have less than stellar home lives. Kids that wind up spending more time with their friend’s families than their own because of trouble at home—multiple meals, marathon sleepovers, and many pick-ups and drop-offs.
I was talking to a friend about this the other day and she surprised me by saying that I should be careful. Careful? I am only trying to help a kid out. I was happy to help. Why should I be careful?
She went on to say that, in the light of the whole spending too much time with someone else’s kid could lead to misunderstandings, liabilities, and legal problems.
“What do you mean?” I asked. She said what if this child got into our liquor? What if he got into prescription drugs, what if he stole something and brought it to my house? What if he falsely accused you of hurting him in some way? The possibilities seemed, sadly, endless.
Maybe Sara Cole started out just trying to help out a kid she knew through her son. Maybe, at first, she was just being kind. Maybe.
Oh, if only they hadn’t invented that darned texting.
I may look back on this article and be sorry I said this, but I trust my son’s friends implicitly.
They deserve anything positive I can bring into their lives and I’m not afraid to carry out random acts of kindness.
Am I too trusting?
Is my friend too paranoid?
Thank you Los Gatos Patch Moms Council member Dyan Chan for last week's important question, How Do You Help Kids Have a Healthy Body Image.
Here is what one reader had to say:
As a teen therapist, I always promote positive praise! Small positive comments to build a teen's self-esteem and sense-of-self go a long way...especially during an impressionable time such as adolescence. Unfortunately, negative comments can be just as impressionable, if not more so. One small negative slip can be quickly internalized. My suggestion for parents is two-part... First, remember your teen is watching you, so be a healthy model for them! Second, regularly remind your teen that you love them and that they are perfect just the way they are!
