Academic institutions take care of providing kids with a formal and traditional education, covering subjects like math, science, language and history. Secondary schools prepare kids for the future by endowing them with knowledge of subjects like philosophy, physics and poetry. These institutions take charge of the academic formation of the mind.

There are, however, certain aspects of adolescence that secondary schooling does not cover. While these subjects are not necessarily academic, they are still of utmost importance. And wherever schools may fall short in informing students about them, parents must take the lead.

The prime areas in which parents must take charge of educating their children are also the most well-known: drugs and alcohol. While secondary schools generally present a zero-tolerance, “just say no” answer to the question of such substances, parents must recognize that the issue is not always so simple. In households where a glass of wine is common with dinner, it is difficult to expect kids to avoid alcohol for their entire lives. Parents must speak with teens about drugs and alcohol in a more realistic way. This does not mean encouraging them to partake in the consumption of such substances. It does, however, mean having more of a conversation about the topics. Parents must set their own standards and rules when it comes to drugs and alcohol, explaining the consequences of the consumption of such substances to teens but keeping lines of communication open at all times.

Sex is also a complex issue that secondary schools often deal with a “just say no” policy. While abstinence is ideal, it is not always realistic. Nor does it always fall within the moral guidelines of all parents. And even if it does, that doesn’t mean adolescents will always abide.

As drugs and alcohol are often taboo subjects in school, so is sex. Secondary schools often stick to an abstinence-only message, foregoing a conversation about safe sex. This is where parents come in. While abstinence may be the ideal option, it is not always the most true-to-life. Parents may have varying opinions about sex before marriage and should share them with their children. And even if abstinence is preached at home and in school, teens do not always abide.

Parents must engage their children in a conversation about sexual activity, from birth control to STDs to safe sex. Kids must know what options are available to them and feel comfortable with talking to their parents.

There is no need to force adolescents to make permanent decisions that set the course of their rest of their lives at such a young age. It is, however, important to talk to them about what they imagine for their lives. Parents may be surprised to find out things about their children they’d never imagined – that their jock son would really like to be a veterinarian, that their nerd daughter is not that interested in going to college.

While secondary schools deal with all of these subjects to some extent, they do not do so in a way that is personal. Parents have a much better chance of finding out what it is that teens are seeking and going through in their lives, facilitating a two-way conversation.

Byron Jonas, a Queensland local looked for english tutoring Gold Coast. At Tutoring Gold Coast, he located professionals who helped his kids succeed in high school. Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

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