prompt for week 12/02/13

Juvenile delinquency is a growing problem in our constantly changing society.  Many young people have little if any respect for themselves or their peers.  I think that the parent family factors and individual factors are the most changeable and controllable.  Parenting classes can provide individuals with some guidelines to help with monitoring and discipline and hopefully prevent parents from sending mixed signals to their children.  Positive reinforcement is a great self-esteem builder and teaching parents how to discipline their children without destroying their self-esteem could be an effective way to battle this issue.  Providing the best education possible to all children at every level of learning should be a top priority in the United States.  The young people of this country are its future and should not be pushed through school without the appropriate knowledge and capabilities to succeed.  It sometimes appears that teaching is focused more on meeting a standard than actually teaching the material.  A healthy and happy home environment plays an important part in a child’s development and growth.  If the foundation as not stable and supportive at home it hinders the child’s ability to succeed.  Setting guidelines for study time and play time can be the first step in building the structure in a young person’s life to help them succeed. 

Peers and the environment would be hard to change so it is important to instill self-confidence and support in children at a young age.  This can help them to feel confident in their own skin and not fall prey to peer pressure.