If Your Kids Aren't Scared of Disappointing You, Are You Even Parenting?
Learn how PINS petitions and group homes work, and why real parenting means stepping up, not backing down. Effective programs to correct unruly teens are always at the ready—but many parents are in denial or are ashamed about taking such drastic measures.
10/7/20253 min read
So to every parent out here trying to play cool while your kid runs wild: Wake up! Stop worrying about your image and do whatever it takes to ensure a good outcome for the lives that you decided to bring into the world. Our government has the programs, systems, and pathways. The only thing missing? Parents with the backbone to use them. Bottom line: SAVE YOUR KIDS!
Let’s rip the Band-Aid off right now—This country has solid programs for unruly teens. Group homes. Residential treatment centers. Structured environments that tackle the root causes of bad behavior while giving kids the tools to rebuild themselves. These programs aren’t some pipe dream—they exist, they work, and they’ve saved countless lives from spiraling into crime, addiction, or worse.
Newsflash: your child didn’t just wake up one day deciding to act like a menace to society. That mess started at home—with YOU. Stop blaming “the streets,” stop blaming the music, stop blaming the teachers, stop blaming the system. Where the hell were you? You’re the guardian, the guide, the supposed adult who’s supposed to raise a human being into someone halfway functional. Instead, some of you are sitting back, half-asleep on the couch, scrolling TikTok while your kid is out here turning into tomorrow’s headline.
And fathers—don’t think you’re off the hook. You see your son sagging his pants, flashing money that clearly isn’t his, mouthing off to authority, and you don’t intervene? That’s not parenting, that’s cowardice. Discipline your child, teach him respect, and if you can’t? Swallow your pride and get professional help before your boy ends up six feet deep or doing time.
Too many so-called “parents” are out here treating their bad-ass kids like untouchable little monsters, terrified of discipline, scared of what the neighbors might say, or—worse—using their kids as a walking welfare check. Yeah, I said it. They’ll watch their own child turn into a slacker, a bully, or a criminal-in-training and just shrug like, “Well, that’s just how it is.” GTFOH with that nonsense!
The Hard Truth: There’s a Process
In America, parents actually can do something. You don’t have to just sit there helpless while your kid sets fire to your household and future. Here’s how it works:
A parent can file a PINS petition (Persons in Need of Supervision) in family court.
This tells the system: “Yo, my kid needs help. I can’t do this alone.”
The court then reviews and decides if the child needs supervision, a group home, or a treatment facility.
That’s not weakness. That’s not giving up. That’s called being realistic and owning your role as a parent.
Stop Playing the Role of “Bestie”
Let’s make something crystal clear: You are not your child’s friend.
They’re not your sidekick. You’re not their fanatic. You are their parent. That means it’s on you to step up, set boundaries, and, if necessary, throw in the towel on your DIY parenting and call in the professionals.
If your kid is out of control, admit it. If you’re scared of them, say it. If you can’t handle it, own up to it. But do something—because doing nothing only guarantees one thing: society will handle it for you later when your child becomes a statistic in the system.
Own the Defeat, Set Them Up for Success
Involving a 3rd party may be looked upon as an admission of failure, but sometimes admitting you’ve lost control is the bravest move you can make. Parents who initiate these programs aren’t weak—quite the opposite! They’ve accepted reality and decided to give their kid a fighting chance at turning their life around. That’s love. That’s responsibility. That’s parenting.