Bad kids, only bad parents. No really, I stand behind that statement.
Kids feed off of their parents. If they get positive direction and attention, you will see it in their behavior. Parents are the first example that children have in their lives. Parents get the opportunity to help form their kids' behaviors before they are influenced by outside sources.
Eventually, they're influenced by their friends, but if the parents give them a solid foundation and treat them as their children, not their buddy, they will choose friends with similar values that their parents have imparted on them.
Don't get me wrong, kids will make poor choices regardless of their upbringing. After all, they're kids. They don't ALWAYS know what a good choice is, but when they make a poor choice, the biggest factor in how they move on from that choice is how their parents handle the situation.
I.e. if a child does something wrong (and they will) if the parent lets it slide it becomes the norm, causing it, down the road, to be a problem to change the behavior.
I.e. if your child sees you dressing like you should live on a street corner (either because you're homeless or you're turning tricks) then they think it's ok and will try to emulate that. ("Do as I say not as I do" doesn't work)
Before you start chanting about me being "holier than thou," let me tell you, I am NOT the perfect parent. I make mistakes, my kids talk back, and they don't always do what I thought they should have. The way I deal with it has an effect on the outcome. Sometimes I'm right, and sometimes, not so much.
When it comes to kids: Parents, you reap what you sow.
~Kim
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