Remember when you parent(s) tried to tell you who to hang out with when your were a kid? Why is it that we always did the exact opposite of what we were told to do (or was that just me)?
I remember hanging around some, well lets just say unsavory characters in 6th grade. I mean you might think how bad can it be, I mean this cant be like the Sopranos do middle school, right? Yeah, well ok, so maybe I should just say, the kids I was hanging out with were the ones not paying attention in school, making bad grades (when they did show up for class) and typically could be considered the black sheep of their families. Did I mention they all wore black members only jackets (yes I am dating myself here) and typically could be found in detention at least 3 days out of the week after school.
"And why don't you want me hanging out with them?" I would ask my Mom. Followed by some screaming and yelling and something like this: "You cant make me". Well needless to say she showed me. We moved about 6 months later, not just into a new neighborhood but a new city! Did it work, well yes in a way, although I did try hashing out a plan to run away, I even had it down to where to catch the bus and how much it would cost, my problem was figuring out how to get to the Greyhound station. SO needless to say, and thank goodness for miracles. My ill fated plan never came to fruition.
My advise, talk to your kids and more importantly show them and LEAD them by example. This is talked about on the blog I have attached as a reference. It points out so well how we need to communicate with kids and share with them our own struggles to find the right friends. Most importantly, let them see first hand through your friends the truth behind finding good people to surround yourself with. Just maybe, if by communicating and leading by example, parents can "Pick who their children hang out with."
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