I have a lot of parents come into my counseling office who are overwhelmed and fed up with their teen's behavior. Sometimes it is the usual teenage behavior; disrespect, minor rebellion or poor grades. These sorts of behaviors are pretty normal and sometimes parents just need some help finding consequences that work for teenagers.
At other times, I see parents who are dealing with some serious behavior problems. Drugs, alcohol, unprotected sex and legal problems may all be issues. And when you're dealing with these types of problems, obviously grounding your child for the weekend isn't going to be effective.
Obviously, the best way to deal with such behavior is to avoid it all together. If you can work on discipline when your child is young, you may reduce the chances that you'll see these behaviors. But not all the time.
Some kids have mental illness or just personalities that make them more prone to misbehavior. Other kids may have experienced something traumatic that causes them to misbehave. Whatever, the reason, it's serious behavior that can have serious consequences.
What's a parent to do when they're concerned that their teen may get pregnant, go to jail or worse yet, die? And what if your teen refuses to get help? If he won't go to counseling or even see his primary care doctor, it's not like you can drag him into the car and make him go.
Some parents turn to teen boot camps as a last resort. However, there can be lots of problems with boot camps that are meant to turn kids' behaviors around. Before you opt for a boot camp for your teenager, learn as much as you can about boot camps for troubled teens and alternative options.