We can be as vigilant as possible and still won't know whats going on in their heads. I think THE most important factor that needs consistent monitoring is the company they are keeping, who are they hanging out with and the influence they are having on our kids. Peer pressure is the leading cause of teens going astray, they are so very impressionable at this age and they will do absolutely anything to fit in and to hell with common sense! the company they keep will reflect on them directly, so meet all their friends and talk to them to stay in the loop.
no offense, mamaof3, but lets not turn this thread into a desi vs gora kids, they are ALL in the same boat as far as these issues are concerned. don't know which part of the country you are in but where I am, public schools are becoming breeding grounds for sexual promiscuity, violence and drugs which is impacting the community as a whole.
It's not about desi vs. gora. American vs. Pakistani cultural standards of rules and consequences are different. I am shocked by what some of my friends/acquaintances in Pakistan did and got away with. I don't see that happening here in the same way. Of course it does happen. But there is a difference.