Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey Delivers Special Message as Kids Go Back to School Today
By Wayne Ivey, Brevard Sheriff // August 10, 2023
Message from Sheriff Wayne Ivey
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – This week, as our children head back to school and will be spending the majority of their day with old friends and new acquaintances, let’s remind our children to make the very best of choices when deciding who they want to choose as their friend.
PARENTS:
1) Keep in mind that you are the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in your child’s life with the full authority to reasonably hold them accountable for their actions!! As parents, tough loving our children is one of the most difficult things we ever have to do, but its no where near as difficult as going to visit them in jail or even worse at the cemetery
2) Always make sure you know who your child is hanging out with, both in person and on-line. If you don’t know the person then get to know them. Meet their parents, and equally as important, meet their friends. If you don’t feel comfortable with them, there is probably a reason why
3) Remember you can be your child’s best friend but don’t let it get in the way of being their parent!! They have an entire school to pick a best friend from but at this point in their life, they need a parent that guides them along the right course of picking that best friend and in understanding that there are always consequences for their actions.
4) As a parent you are not only the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in their lives, but are also the most visible and constant role model they have. Discuss with them how you chose your friends and explain what happens if you hang with the wrong crowd.
5) Make sure your child knows they can talk to you about their associations and problems, even when they have made a mistake. If they can’t turn to you, then who will they turn to?
KIDS:
The following five things were repeatedly reinforced to me by my parents when I was growing up as things to consider when making decisions:
1) Know that poor decisions today can haunt you the rest of your life
2) Instead of trying to have a whole bunch of friends, try to have one friend that cares a whole bunch
3) Never give in to peer pressure, but instead give others peer pressure to always do the right thing
4) Live each day by the “Man In The Mirror” test. As long as you can look at the person in the mirror and be proud of what you see, you are doing okay
5) Always know you can turn to your parents for anything. They may get angry, be disappointed, and even give consequences for your actions, but you will never find anyone on earth who loves you more than your parents
On behalf of our entire agency, we hope everyone has a great school year and reaches every goal they have set for themselves in the coming year.
Thank you for your incredible support of our agency and for sharing this important information with your children, your family, and all of your friends.
–mSheriff Wayne Ivey
