Family Problems Lead To Troubled Teens

I notice my friends have parents that don't have much care for them on what they do. I find myself saying, "I wish my parents were like that." But a majority of them do illegal drugs, gang violence, and other influential things. Ever heard of you are who you hang out with? What influences that? You're raised by your blood and flesh, your parents. So where do these teens develop violence or mental issues? Families are the beginning of turning the good teens into the troubled.

            Divorces and parents separating are becoming at an all time high for young adults. They come to blame themselves for their parents’ own complications. Two out of three marriages that end in divorce involve a minor. 71% of high school dropouts are known to be from fatherless homes. Child support, child custody, and all these other laws involving divorce with minors, they feel stuck, unsure and hopeless on what to do. Sometimes there’s no discipline allowing the teen to wonder and do as he or she does freely. Causing more violence, drug use, sculpting them into someone they never hoped to be when they were still wearing the fresh scent of baby powder on their bums.
            Abuse occurs more often in households than you can look at into teenager’s eyes. Either sexual or physical, even mental abuse, can create a reoccurring bruise on ones growing mind. About 44% of teens are sexual and/or physically abused.  Unfortunately four children die from abuse or neglect. Yes girls are most likely to be sexually abused more than boys, but it’s still the equal amount of abuse for each gender. With constant discomfort and unhappiness in a home, it can lead to destruction of a teens mind. Their naïve and are still are developing on who they are as a person. With abuse they become scared, scarred, angry, leaving hopelessness in their sunken heart, they develop anger problems, depression, anxiety, phobias, paranoia, all these mental disorders. Also even leaving bruises, black eyes, broken bones, even broken hearts.
            A friend once told me about her friends dad who died from his liver exploding from an excessive amount of alcohol consumed. Alcoholism changes a person perspective, vision, and just their whole personality in general. You see your parent walk in all wobbly and such slurring their words, maybe even breaking household items. Does this set a good example on teens or does it give the ‘ok’ on underage drinking? More than one-fourth of all children in the United States are exposed to alcohol abuse or dependence in their families before they are the age of 18.  When your family member is sick you usually want to do anything in your power to help them because they're temporarily impaired. It’s almost like with alcohol, a sickness, you have to help your parent into bed, take care of them so nothing wrong happens to them. But constantly doing so, the teen feels a huge responsibility is loaded onto their shoulders. It could cause them to fall into depression, create an unbalanced routine.
            In this nation of ours, teens go through more at home than you can imagine. Sometimes everyday is a battle, where life becomes our war. You can’t judge them based on how they appeal themselves to you, theirs always a bigger side to the story, their lives. Families are beginning to fall apart, breaking hearts, minds and souls. What can we do about it? Theirs counselors, friends, psychologists, groups, etc. People that care enough to help out a teen in their struggle of a household. Let’s hope that instead of statistics rising and becoming more negative, but hope for families that can grow stronger and create children that can peruse their happiness.

SOURCES: 
Buddy, T. "More Effects of Parental Drinking." Alcoholism - The Alcoholism Home Page. Buddy,T, 20 Dec. 2007. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. <http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/tipsforparents/a/aa000725a.htm>

Iannelli, Vincent. "Child Abuse Statistics." About Pediatrics - Pediatric Parenting and Medical Advice. Iannelli,Vincent, 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. <http://pediatrics.about.com/od/childabuse/a/05_abuse_stats.htm>.

"Divorce Statistics in the USA | Divorce Information." How to Divorce - The Essential Guide to Divorce, Laws about Divorce, Divorce Rates, Free Divorce, Divorce Lawyers & More. 2011. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. <http://www.divorceguide.com/usa/divorce-information/divorce-statistics-in-the-usa.htm