I think children should be able to be friends with who they want to. The most we can do as parents is give them the right information and support them in what they are interested in. At the end of the day it is their decision.

Durex play pack will be a great gift for my son on his 18th birthday.

Teach kids to do things because they want to and have decided it is right not just because the group is doing it.

If the 'group' bullies' someone does that make it right?
Should you do that, as a decent human being?

This article emphasizes alot of what is happening in day to day life! Just last night on private practice a mother went into her GP to get birth control pills for her 12 year old daughter!

It's obviously something that is occurring more and more frequently, pretty sad really!

Peer pressure will always occur in the playgrounds, It's just a shame that the pressure has shifted from jumping off a swing to smoking, drug taking and sex!

It is always a question of what is right and wrong? Should I or should'nt I? Am I a good parent?

At the end of the day the most important thing I feel is to have respect and be respected. Create activities at home which involve the kids bringing their friends.

This could mean a serious card game on a rainy day with pizza and drinks, or investing in a spa which will be utilised 24/7.

When we were worried about our son we invested in a spa off trademe. Nothing flash. The next time the friends came round and said lets go and hang.............. where they hang I do not know. I said eh instead of hanging............. get your togs, pump up some music and I will make some pizza's.

This was great, I got to know the others, they got to know me, I left them their space but also managed to be aware of what was said and going on. After this day it was always hanging at our house.

It is'nt easy always having the house full of teenagers you never know who is going to walk out of the bathroom next, or get a bowl of cereal out of the cupboard, but you can set the rules and gain the respect.

At the end of the day it is all worth it and quite rewarding when they get older and come round to tell you what they are up to and succeeded in even if your kids arnt home.

I hope this helps it's not easy being a parent these days, but remember it is not easy being a teenager either.

:-)

Rochelle has hit the nail on the head, Make your house a place your kids want to be and a place they can bring their mates (regardless of how much you like them).

My family home and my Grandparents house where like this and it had an effect on the make up of my group of mates, the "bad eggs" had a dislike of being around anyones parents and so would not hang around with the rest of us at my place resulting in the worst of the influences leaving all by themselves without it becoming a cause of conflict between me and my folks.

Another major benefit of this was seeing my parents deal tactfully with my mates when they overstepped the line, the social skills i learnt and the showing up of my and my friends social ineptitude in a tactful way taught me more about myself and how to deal with others than i could have guessed at the time.

more sensible advice, thanks.