Many physical and psychological changes happen to children during puberty; this tumultuous phase becomes a challenge to the entire family. While the child navigates this confusing time, we parents worry especially when we hear stories about drug use, school violence, bullying, teen pregnancy, and many more toxic situations and relationships our children may find themselves facing. However, finding the root of these issues is more crucial than merely plugging in solutions to an already existing crisis. Benjamin Franklin once said: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If you look at the cause, you don't have to worry about drugs. You don't have to worry about violence. You don’t have to worry about teen pregnancy. Here's what you should really be worrying about with your teenagers: the relationships that they create and have. Those relationships are the keys to their success or failure. Teens who have the right relationships tend to make better choices. As much as you want to influence who your child makes friends with, it is really the kind of environment they are immersed in that facilitates those relationships. If most of the people surrounding them have their best interests in mind, we can easily give them advice on how to spot unhealthy friendships. As they get acclimated to a healthy place like Seigler’s Karate Center, they would begin to realize frenemies are merely people who are friendly toward them because their relationship with your children brings them benefits. Your children would begin to see the differences of the genuine encouragement from our instructors from fake friends who dispense disingenuous compliments. Because our mentors at SKC care about your children and want to provide a safe place for them to train, your children would grow to realize that frenemies merely use negative information they know about your children to their advantage. If they experience at SKC that their teammates and instructors constantly root for them, they will intuitively recognize secret rivals whose goal is to see them fail. SKC provides a safe and nurturing place where your children can grow with other teenagers who have similar goals and the drive to achieve them. We have mentors who encourage, listen, counsel, and serve as role models. Besides, because your teen is too busy trying to work on their goals, they become too occupied to get in trouble. Perhaps your teen is at the cusp of a toxic friendship. Perhaps your teen needs help navigating life. We're here for you! We can partner with you so your teen can make the right choices as they grow into a healthy adult. By Jennifer Waters (Edited by: Caryl Veloso & Joliza Gelhay)
