Every day we read another story about something teens do to jeopardize their immediate — or future — safety, health or wellbeing. How can we fault them? It’s a proven fact that their brains aren’t fully developed. They aren’t capable of making sound decisions. I was pretty sure I knew this already, but it was confirmed when I read, “Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind,” a book I highly recommend to all parents. If the title alone doesn’t grab you, believe me when I say it’s worth the read and re-read.
If you live with a teen you don’t need any more evidence that teens’ minds are in the developmental stage. It’s imperative that we step in as parents. I decided to do my part a few years ago when I gave these insane teen acts a label… a name… a catchy phrase if you will – “The Dumb Ass of the Day.” To fulfill my duty as an informed Mom who wants to educate and enlighten my kids I started pointing out these actions to my girls. I should also add that this label is not limited to teens, there are plenty of Dumb @$$ adult examples to go around!
Usually my rants start something like this:
“Guess what I heard today [enter story about crazy act].”
I always end with:
“Don’t Be a Dumb @$$!”
Is it alarming that I speak to my kids this way? Maybe. But let me tell you it gets their attention. That’s really all I want to make the lesson stick. What else can you ask for when trying to teach a young, impressionable mind about not doing stupid things? At times the name has morphed slightly into: “Dumb Ass of the Week,” or “Dumb Ass of the Month,” or for the really over the top ones, “Dumb Ass of the YEAR!”
Don’t Be a Dumb @$$ Examples
I have a feeling this might be a recurring theme in RSG as we get to know each other so thought it best I bring it up now. Here’s a few past examples of what I’m talking about in 
case you’d like to try this with your teen:
School principal caught plagiarizing
Teachers caught making vulgar comments about students
Voice of Dora the Explorer Caught Vaping
We’ve all been guilty of doing stupid things at one time or another. Feel free to use these examples to start a discussion and scare the hell out of your kids so they don’t do the same stupid things! Or, maybe just let them know it’s wrong. The approach is your call. All we can ask is that they own up to their mistakes, learn from them and hope and pray they don’t become someone I highlight on my Dumb @$$ list. Fingers crossed!
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I’m a big believer in scare tactics! My job is to keep them safe, right?
I agree! Always emphasize that your teens should never do something that may negatively impact their lives permanently!