You knew what I was when you picked me up. Hissss!

[beelzebabette]

Something I've always wondered at, especially since I have three small kids......you know how your parents didn't ever want you to hang around with "bad kids" because they didn't want them to "rub off" on you.....what if you're the parent of a "bad kid" and you want your kid to hang around with a "good" one? And do I trust my kids enough to try and set good examples for their friends, or do I run the risk of letting them get corrupted by a negative influence/peer pressure?

My parents allowed us to choose our own friends. By high school, I had figured out that telling my parents I would be with certain friends (that they trusted more than they did me) allowed me to effectively have no curfew--just call to tell them I expected to be home around 3:30 or whatever the night's plans were. My younger brother, on the other hand, had more exciting friends but also a much earlier, much more rigid curfew.

FWIW, he turned out better than I did.