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Carlos "Chico" Gonzalez

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My name is Carlos Gonzalez. I am 15 years old. I was born in Puerto Rico and later raised in The Bronx. I go to Xavier High School in Manhattan where I run track. I enjoy hip-hop and reggae music. I joke around a lot but do not offend people. I am easy-going and I am not an overly serious person, but I can be SERIOUS. My friends call me Chico.
Summer 2004

Interesting Fact: When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian, but because I am not too good at bio, I now want to be a chef.

Story Description: Parenting Pointers
Chico loves his parents, but thinks they can learn a few things about parenting - from him. Chico thinks since he's a teen, he knows how best to parent teens. Chico's come up with some pointers for parents, and explores them in his story.

Chico's Mentor:

Maureen McMurray is the Associate Producer for WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show with an office that just happens to be right next door to Radio Rookies. After months of observing the program from her desk, she decided to get in on the action and become a mentor. The youngest of four children, she was always "the baby" of the house until she spent a semester abroad in Madrid and lived with a mother and her 15-year-old son, Andres. They became fast friends and she would help Andres with his English homework in exchange for tips on the latest Spanish slang. Their long lasting friendship sparked her interest in working with young people in the US.

Interesting Fact: I don't have a middle name. Also, I've never broken a bone, but somehow I've managed to get stitches on my face on five separate occasions--all by the time I was in the fifth grade.

Chico's PLAN FOR PARENTS contains 13 do's and don't as well as his motto for parenting. Here are a couple of the rules Chico says parents should follow:

"DON'T BE SO NOSY"

Like if your kid has some friends over, is it really necessary that you go in every 5 minutes and ask them "Do you need something? Are you thirsty?" If your kid is not a complete idiot, he's going to know to ask his friends if they want something. Like you can go in once and say "Is everything all right - do you want me to go to the store and get some Chinese food?," but just go in once or twice. And when your kid's friends get there - introduce yourself, and say: "Do your parents know you're here? Maybe you should call them and tell them you're here, and that it's alright because I'm going to be here."

Only go through your kid's stuff if the kid's actions or the things he's hiding can affect the family in a negative way - like if your kid comes home smelling like weed every day, there's a good chance he's doing weed. So then go through his drawers real quick (he probably didn't even hide it well), but don't go through his drawers reading all his papers, going through his folders - that's just unnecessary - like they're really going to hide weed in a folder or on a paper! They're not going to write on a piece of paper "I'm smoking weed!"

The best way to know what your kid is doing is to have a good relationship, and ask him.

"ALLOW YOUR KIDS TO COME HOME LATE SOMETIMES"

If you know where they are, it's no problem. If you know what your kids are doing and what surroundings they're in, it's okay if they're out late - if you know where they are, there shouldn't even be a curfew. Don't tell a kid they can go to the party, but tell them they have to be at home at 12pm when they told you the party was going to finish at 3am. Then they're going to come home late anyway, and they're going to tell you "I didnít know what time it was. I was dancing!" If you want them to come home safely, just give them money for a cab so they can come home right in front of your doorstep, and then you won't worry what time they're walking in the street. Cabs work 24 hours a day!

Also, if you tell your kids to be home at a certain time (because maybe you have a family plan) and they're late and don't have a good excuse, they're being disrespectful and didn't understand the whole family had to wait for them because they were late! Then, the next time you can not give them permission to go out before the family plan - as a punishment! Let the other kids go out if they came home on time!

- read the rest of Chico's plan