Friday, August 31, 2012

Part 2: Discourage Gang Activity


Child showing gang signs

The politicians and Police can only discourage gang activity to a point.  It takes each household to discourage their children from joining or associating with a gang. It is up to you to discourage your children from hanging around with gang members.  You start doing this as soon as they are able to walk and talk. Don’t start trying to control your children’s activity at age 16. It is easier to train your children in which way to go at age 4 than it is as age 14. The older they are when you start training your children they harder it will be when you start trying to train them.
 Soccer Boyz
To discourage connections between your children and gangs, occupy your children’s free time. You should plan activities that the whole family can enjoy such as bike riding, bowling, hiking, fishing, swimming, and camping.  

Meet your children’s friends. Find out whom they are, what influence they have on your children, and how they spend their free time.  If your children choose friends that are mostly from gangs, then your children are probably involved in gang activity.  Here is why you must occupy your children’s free time. Give them responsibilities at home. Get them involved in after school activities and other children’s associations such as summer baseball, basketball, and track programs. 

You the parent are going to have to develop good communications with your children without becoming a friend and not a parent. Good communication is open and frequent.  It takes on a positive tone not a condemning tone.  Do not allow your children to stay out late at night. Set limits for your children.  At an early age, children need to know what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The safety of your family depends on you learning about gang and drug activity in your community. It depends on you being an informed parent!  

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