While most parents worry when their teens go out at night, research proves that teens are most likely to engage in dangerous behavior after school – weekday afternoons from the time school lets out until parents arrive home from work. This issue grows during summer, when the entire day is ripe for trouble-making.

The times of low supervision and light responsibilities leads to boredom. A bored teenager looking for something to do is more likely to engage in risky or illegal behavior. And while many teens are re­sponsible enough to be left alone after school, others are not yet mature enough to resist the temptations that boredom brings. So why do parents of these teens leave them alone despite the risks? Many feel they don’t have a choice. While we won’t address the ongoing fight between working and stay-at-home moms here, we do want to examine the issue of what to do with teens when you are at work.

Parents can usually find numerous ways to keep younger children monitored, including day care, while parents of teenagers are left with fewer options for supervision. Outside of changing your work schedule, here are some of the ways parents can plan activities for their teenagers:

1. After-school activities: Involving your children in sports and clubs does more than keep them occupied during the afternoon hours; it also improves their health and well-being, and quite possibly – their chances at getting into their preferred college.
2. Family or neighbors: Fewer of us have family nearby when so many of us lead more transient lives, but many of us do have neighbors who may be able to lend a hand. Are there any stay-at-home moms in the neighborhood who may want to make a little extra money by watching your teen for a few hours?
3. Check with your school: The school or Forsyth Board will often know what options are available– other parents have often already asked the same questions.
4. Check with your church: It may have, or be able to refer you to, a supervised teen center.
5. YMCA/YWCA: The Y and other similar organizations are top notch at keeping kids occupied. Between summer camps, swimming lessons, and activities at the center, this is a great way to keep teens engaged. The new Y in Forsyth is sure to have something to interest your teen!
6. Part-time jobs: Though a debated topic, many believe that teenagers with jobs are better able to adapt to the workforce later, are able to learn valuable skills now that help with work ethic and even study habits now, and in the meantime, they are certainly less likely to be bored.
7. Home responsibilities: Even if they don’t work outside the home, kids who have specific chores to do with clear consequences for non-completion are less likely to feel bored.
8. Start your own: If you don’t feel there are viable options for teens in your community – consider starting a program yourself! Conduct a survey of local schools, churches and parents to determine the need – then find out what the state requirements are for getting started. You could be a lifesaver for local at-risk teens and their worried parents.

A search for help on the web using the key words “teenager” and “after school” leads not to a list of potential after-school programs, but rather numerous reminders of why programs are needed – “Teenager dies in after school fight” – “Teenager shot by police after taking gun to school” – “Teenagers caught shoplifting after school” – “After school vandalizing lands teens in jail.” Such headlines continue to remind us that teenagers are not yet adults and remain at risk. In today’s two-income world, the typical debate has been whether young children are being raised by the local day care center. Let’s not forget the other critical issue - are teens being raised by themsevels?

Source: Howard N. Snyder and Melissa Sickmund, “Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report,” National Center for Juvenile Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/nationalreport99/toc.html.