Hazing activities can occur when a person is trying to join an athletic team, club, professional or social organization, school group, a fraternity/sorority or the military. Wikipedia defines hazing as �an often ritualistic test, which may constitute harassment, abuse or humiliation with requirements to perform meaningless tasks, sometimes as a way of initiation into a social group. The definition can refer to either physical (sometimes violent) or mental (possibly degrading) practices.� Their ability to withstand the hazing is a demonstration of their worthiness to belong to said group.
Hazing has made national headlines due to the serious injury or deaths that are a result. Parents mistakenly believe that their teenager will use common sense and resist drinking a gallon of beer at one time. However, the reality is that the need to belong and be accepted is far more powerful. This results in countless teenagers putting themselves at risk each year. Unfortunately parents don�t become aware of the true danger until they are visiting their child in the hospital or much worse, identifying their body.
1. Talk to your teenager on a regular basis.
2. Find out if they are considering joining an organization, club or pledging a fraternity or sorority.
3. Discuss with them their reasons for wanting to join a particular organization, club, or team.
4. Find out if your teenager knows that organization�s policy on hazing. Have they ever had any sanctions or disciplinary actions due to hazing? Has that organization ever had a civil or criminal lawsuit.
5. Stress to your teenager your position on hazing.
6. Be sure to make your teenager aware that either hazing someone or being hazed can change their lives forever. Criminal charges and/or civil lawsuits as a results of wrongful death are not uncommon.
Felecia D. Sheffield, PhD, is an author, trainer, international speaker and
life coach. Dr. Sheffield has over 15 years of experience providing services to parents, schools, colleges, universities, and social services agencies. For addtional parenting articles, ADHD, LD and college resources visit psychcore.com psychcore.com
Copyright 2004-2007, Felecia D. Sheffield. PhD. All Rights Reserved Worldwide in all Media. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article in your ezine, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, website, etc. as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, leave my name and bio box intact, and you follow all of the EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.