What happens when your teen strikes up a friendship with a bad kid?

Well, I’ve worked with the, quote, “bad kids,” for more than thirty years. And you know what? They’re not “bad kids.” They’re just kids making poor choices. And because kids hang out together, peer pressure kicks in and sometimes the bad behavior has a domino effect.

There’s a tendency to blame a child’s actions on the influence of those “bad kids”, but you should never excuse your child’s behavior as just that. He or she is not a victim! There are reasons your child is ignoring the wisdom you’ve given.

So next time you’re tempted to blame the crowd for your teen’s bad choices, be sure you allow him or her to own it.

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