My daughter is the best example of the dark side of teens. At 11 she started to rebel, she began with the men not boys. I found that most were over 18. I would find phone numbers and clothes I definitely didn't buy in her school bag.

The school started calling about the days she was absent, I was dumbfounded since she left out home for school. Then the call came that she was in jail because the truant officer caught her and the guy she was with was now behind bars, for corrupting a minor.

This type of behavior did not stop as she got older either, she is now a teen mother. However the reality is now kicking in, that she needs to shape up but it has been a very long and scary road. I just gave her as much love as I could and now I am trying to teach her how to be a good mother so she doesn't have the problems I had.

However I have learned there is no sure way to fix this problem. No matter how great a parent you think you are, nothing prepares you for the changes in your child when they become a teenager. You are never prepared, and you actually have to let it run its course, while you remain loving and patient until you get your child back.

Learn more about this author, Katherine Johnson.
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