As a parent, what keeps you up at night?

[dad80dad80]

As a parent, what keeps you up at night?

To start off:

I'm the father too an eighteen year old boy. He's in his room all day on his computer. He's a smart kid, but lazy. I'm afraid he'll waste his life playing computer games.

[TOM-RO]

Hey @dad80dad80 

Thank you for creating this thread. I'm sure it's a topic that many parents can relate to. I'm going to tag some of our most regular users to that they become aware of this thread and contribute if they feel up to it: @PapaBill 

@JohnT @Alexendra @JAKGR8 @KattMomma @Dad4good @sunflowermom @Nikita16. 

If you don't mind me asking @dad80dad80: 

How old is your son?

How many hours does he usually spend playing games a day?

What are some strategies you use (if you use any) to get him off the computer?

Of the strategies you have used, which have been successful/unsuccessful?

[PapaBill]

Hi @dad80dad80 

I guess if I had to pick one thing it would be that my kids are making friends and learning how to get along with others.  

We hear so much about bullying these days and both my kids had few if any friends at school.

The good news as they have gone along it doesn't seem to be have worried them as much as it has me!

But that's being a Parent is about.. you always worrying about your kids at one level or another.

[Jess1-RO]

Hi @dad80dad80,

This is such an important topic, so thank you for starting this one!

Dependence on technology is creating a lot of tension in families these days, and I agree it is a big one to work through!

@PapaBill Bullying and friendships are also big topics. I can imagine that worrying about bullying would be stressful, it seems that bullying is one of the biggest stressors both online and in school environments. We see these topics discussed a lot in our youth community too.

I am also going to add mental health and wellbeing to this list too. We hear from parents concerned about how to help their teens with the big things; coping, stress, mental health and seeking help. 

Shout out to our superhero parents! Parenting is not easy, and we think you are all doing such a great job coping with the everyday stuff and the tough times that come up at home