A sign that your child needs you.

Peer pressure affects each kid differently. By the sixth grade it becomes even more complicated because our kids, all of a sudden, stop sharing their inner feelings with us. We find ourselves thinking - maybe they have a problem - but we don’t really know. 

Fortunately, we parents are smart. At least, smart enough to realize that if we think something is wrong there is a ninety-nine percent chance that something is, in fact, wrong. 

Recently, I had such a feeling. My twelve year old seemed stressed out. He could not find anything to do, but  video games or T.V.. At times he would have everything turned on at once moving from game to game. For a couple of weeks, he had been complaining about his friends and how little he values them because they are stupid and all that. 

It seemed to me this was a sign that he needed less friends and more Dad. I told him to tell his friends he was on restriction and could not play with them (which he was glad to do). We started hanging out together. The games stopped, he perked up, and life in general got better. A week or so later, he gave me a hug and said “Dad, you always know what to do!” I love you.