Do you have an open door policy? Meaning, can your daughter and her friends hang out at your house whenever they want? I just recently watched an episode of Wife Swap. Both ladies on the show who swapped places with each other had teenage girls. One of the moms allowed her daughters to have company anytime including male friends without supervision, while the other never allowed her daughters to have friends over.
The show was a bit sad. One set of girls was completely out of control and the other set was so sheltered and honestly quite pitiful as they were treated so negatively by their parents. Neither set really had a healthy situation in my opinion which made me think there has to be a happy medium.
It is important that we allow our daughters to have some freedom, especially our teens. But we also have to give restrictions too. A good practice is an open door policy that includes allowing friends to visit when there is adult supervision. You will be surprised how much you can learn from and about your daughter as you witness her interacting with her friends.
Then, there is much to be said about how much better you’ll know her friends and how much they will respect you for having them around, opening up your doors, your home and your life to them. It can really do wonders for not only your relationship with your daughter(s) but also your relationship with her friends and her relationship with them as well. So, consider having an open door policy in your home.
Respect, it is more than just an old song by The Temptations, it is truly something we should teach our children. In today’s society, so many people lack respect, respect for authority, respect for our elders, respect for each other, and therefore, as a result of this lack of respect among adults, our daughters too have a lack of respect.
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