Prom night decisions: easier than parents think

[Mugu]

WRITTEN BY AISHA SULTAN, PD HOME AND FAMILY EDITOR, stltoday.com

Diane Peterson works as a sales clerk at a Walgreens in Fenton. She was developing pictures last month when she spotted some familiar faces — teenage girls she has known since they were in kindergarten — in an X-rated spring break adventure. "I was appalled by what I saw," Peterson said. It wasn't just the drunken, sexual poses that bothered her. She knew some of their parents. And she knew they didn't have a clue.

A recent poll commissioned by the cable network WE, which launched a docu-series called "High School Confidential," found a major communication gap between parents and their teenage daughters. Among the parents surveyed, 73 percent said they know much of what is happening in the lives of their adolescent daughters. Only 45 percent of the girls agreed with that.

Parents also had rosy — and unrealistic — visions about the closeness of their relationships with their daughters. Nearly 80 percent said their daughters could talk to them about anything. Only 54 percent of girls agreed.

Unlike clueless parents of the past, many of today's boomer parents bought into the friend-over-parent bargain. Consequently, they expect to be in their teen's inner circle, a person in whom their son or daughter confides.

Complete article

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

1. Photography 101:

Don't take your x-rated photos to Walgreens.

:rofl:

I think many parents of teenagers would be shocked if they knew what their kids are up to.

[AngryAmish]

2. Children lie to their parents all the time, and it is unrealistic to expect otherwise

Did I lie to my parents? Of course. It is what children do. Many people may think that their precious snowflakes do not lie to them. They are wrong. However lies, when caught, have to be punished.

Parents have a right to expect a certain baseline of responsibility and respect from their children. You do want your child to fear you -- or at least fear the consequences of their bad behavior. Best friends don't punish each other. A parent can punish a child. It is part of the duties.

[yellowcanine]

3. Why would they still be using film cameras? More expensive AND less private.

Get with the program boys and girls. If you are going to take dirty pictures use a digital camera.

[EOTE]

6. They may be less private, but they're still cheaper.

You can pick up a film SLR for under $200 and have been able to for quite some time. The cheapest digital SLRs I've seen are around $400, and just a couple years ago, you couldn't pick up them up for under $800. Granted, you've still got to worry about purchasing film instead of using reusable memory cards, but if you're looking to take a good picture with an SLR, film is still the way to go if you want to do it on the cheap.

[yellowcanine]

9. I doubt that these were SLR pictures. More likely disposable cameras.

And a $200 digital camera will take some pretty good pictures. Anyway, I doubt that picture quality was the concern here.

[HughBeaumont]

4. People still take their dirty film to get developed?

Jeeez girls, they invented these things called digital cameras. Look into it. They can't be that thick.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

5. People have this expectation that if they try to be their kids

friend that communication improves, for the most part thats myth. I will not try to be my daughters friend until she is a grown woman what I will be is a supportive (when appropriate), interested, concerned, and honest parent!

If you love a pet you don't let it nose around through the garbage lest it consume something toxic why then do so many parents in the name of being 'cool friends' give a kid enough rope to hang themselves with?

When all is said and done no matter what a parent does much of this is owned by the kid, if they keep things from their parents without damn good reason they give up the right to complain that mom and dad 'dont get it'

[MindPilot]

7. How many of these concerned parents who freak out over spring break activities

would be perfectly OK with their kids joining the military?

[Quantess]

8. Jeez. I went through my teenage years without being photographed naked & drunk.

And I turned out wild enough.