First impressions are rough, but they are a big deal. Teens who can be very judgmental in their own right often forget that adults are not just judging their music or their clothes; they judge things like work ethic and self-motivation too. There is no better time that they figure this out than after a hiccup in something like their grades or other responsibility. People can change though. The problem is when the environment of teachers, friends and even family are too hung up on past mistakes or behaviors to believe that a change has been made.

This is difficult for a teen who in no way realized the true consequences for their freshman year behavior. Your teen must be reminded that with persistence and consistency they can overcome their reputation. They also need to know that will be challenging.

Persistence and consistency. Consistency. It is only through repeated successful fulfillment of a promise that people will begin to look at your teen differently. Giving up and returning to old behaviors is no way to react to the skepticism of others. After all, your teen should be changing to live up to their expectations of themselves? Your teen’s true self development comes from empowering your teen to define who they are not others.

It is this tiny spin on the situation that can make the difference between empowerment and victimization.  Success and failure. Let your teen know, if they have truly changed that they shouldn’t let others force them to stay who they were. Own the person they have become and continue forward with the support of those who see the change as well.

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