The world is a much more dangerous and complicated place to grow up in than it ever was in the past. This makes it more important for parents to spend time with their children, and impart in them values that will help them for life. With strong values and ethics, children find it easier to deal with peer pressure and stress later on. In the past, when children hit puberty, parents used to stand by them and teach them insights into healthy ways to develop a code of ethics about work, money, family, and friendships. Adults taught children about values, and how to think critically about what values would be important as they moved into adulthood. Teens today are in school for most of their time, with extracurricular activities taking up more time in the evenings. By the time they get home, they have time only to eat dinner, study, watch some TV, and go to bed. And with their own busy schedule, parents find it even more difficult to spend quality time with their children. As a parent, you shouldn't blame yourself unnecessarily for not spending 'enough' time with your child. It's not your fault. If you're working hard, it's only to build a safe future for yourself and your children. If anyone is to blame, it is the society. Lifestyles are changing with such alarming speed that we have no time to sit by ourselves and reflect on our lives for even a few hours every week. The concept of spending quality time with your child everyday is as good as nonexistent now. Add to this the negative occurrences in society―drugs, crime, and violence. Children need a strong moral upbringing to stay away from these. Unfortunately, we don't have time today to build that strong a moral system in our kids. What You Can Do ... Adolescence is a time for many things new. Your child must be finding it difficult to deal with change. However, instead of shielding him from trouble, impart in him values from which he can draw strength. Your protection isn't going to stay forever; that of these values will. Teach him the joy of overcoming obstacles on his own. Teach him to live by example. Discuss great stories with him. Introduce him to the larger world. Talk to him about great leaders; the decisions that they made and how they affected a larger group of people. Talk to him about decisions that you took to reach where you are. If your child unnecessarily rebels against every rule laid down by you, don't think twice before giving him a piece of your mind. Punishment is very necessary. By this, we don't mean that you have to ingrain fear for you in his mind. All you have to is punish him for 'repeated, purposeful' mistakes. At the same time, talk to him about learning from mistakes; it is one of the most important lessons in life. Allow him to suffer the consequences of his actions. It will teach him to be responsible for what he does. In future, he will think twice before doing something wrong. Life has its own punishments; the earlier you introduce him to this, the better. He'll learn to take thoughtful decisions.