Parents of troubled teens, and their teachers and counselors, live with the likelihood that their rapidly maturing children might soon face the court system. Suddenly the child who seemed so full of promise might face the very real prospect of facing a juvenile court referral. From that point, the probability of having a child in the justice system is a nagging threat. The fear is always lurking that their “golden child”, their beloved son or daughter, might soon face expulsion for bullying, or become a defendant in a bullying case. Some, who fear that the taunts of their children’s classmates may be true, and that their child might really be gay, lesbian, or transgendered, worry that their kids might be bullied and suffer lifelong scars, or even death.
[amazon_enhanced asin="0979841127" /]In 21st Century America, the threat of violence is always a possibility. Even middle-class, peaceful families know that they are not immune. Not only in America, but in Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand…in any so-called developed nation around the world, parents walk a thin line between responding to classroom discipline and facing an escalation in the system’s treatment of their child.
At fairnessworks.p1r8.net, we are looking for ways of bringing concerned parents into constructive contact — early in the process, before “juvie” or jail — with methods of intervention and conflict resolution which can save the future of their troubled teens. The goal of this blog is to link parents like these with well-established methods of responding to youth crises, such as Restorative Justice and peacemaking circles. Creating a Culture of Care in the schools is a possible solution, with practitioners who know how to implement these programs. Hope for restoration is not a false hope, and the possibility of linking to alternatives to punitive and retributive justice is a viable option.
We include a wealth of links to alternative methods at fairnessworks. Look at the categories and tags in the column at right, click on them, read and follow up on them, if you are the parent (or concerned adult) in the life of a troubled teenager. Post your comments here and reach out for help. If you have read this far, you are a “seat-of-the-pants peacemaker,” and you are NOT alone. You are the person we want to reach at fairnessworks.p1r8.net.
As the editor and publisher of this blog, I am not the counselor you might need. But I will do my best to link you to the help you are seeking. Remember, you are not alone.
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