[Sir Kenyth]

I also can't stress enough that the other kids your child hangs around with have a huge impact on their behavior! My son didn't decide to skip by himself! Almost all the big trouble he's been in has been with a "problem" child in the neighborhood. It may seem mean, but you have to chose your kids friends wisely. That means forbidding certain kids from coming around. The best way to control your childs environment and peers is by putting them in organized activities. Problem kids are rarely in any organized activity that costs their parents money. Remember, many times problem kids have problem parents. Sports, Boy Scouts, after school groups, church youth, etc. These are all good choices. Keep involved in your kids life. Get aquainted with other parents in the area. That way, you can trade off nights to take a group of kids to do something fun under adult supervision or have them over at your house. Don't leave kids alone for extended periods and keep them social and busy having good clean fun. You remember the old saying that idle hands are the devils playground. Good parenting means more than knowing how to punish your kids.