How To Know if your Child is in a Gang

Gangs are present in almost every community. You can't always be with your child all day especially if your child is already in his teens. If you are worried about your child's safety, here are some tips on how to know if your child is in a gang. Please use these tips just as guides on when to become more attentive to your child's activities, and not as basis for him being in a gang.

1. Your child admits to hanging out with friends who are in gangs. This may eventually lead to his friends recruiting him into the gang.
2. Your child comes home with unexplained bruises or wounds. These bruises and wounds may be results of gang fights or gang initiation rites. But these may also result from other kids bullying him and he's just uncomfortable in telling you about it.
3. Your child starts using drugs or alcohol. This sign can mean a lot of things though. He may also be having problems that he's keeping to himself and that's why he resorts to drinking and drug use to help him to forget his problems.
4. Your child has tattoos. Not everyone who has tattoos is in a gang. It is important to check what your child's tattoo is because most gangs use tattoos in branding themselves. Members have themselves tattooed with letters, numbers, or symbols that represent their gangs. Known gangs who use tattoos to identify themselves are Nuestra Familia, the New Mexican Mafia, Yakuza and Triad, Born to Kill, Flying Dragons, Ghost Shadows, Biker or Motorcycle gangs, Militia, White Supremacists, Crips, Bloods, or the Black Guerrilla Family. 
5. Your child gets in trouble with the law. This may be a result of gang fights or crimes initiated by gangs.
6. Your child to suddenly starts to pull away from your family or his old friends. This may be because he doesn't want his folks to know about his life with the gang. He may stop hanging out with friends he's known his whole life because he'd rather hang out with the gang.
7. Your child exhibits sudden changes in his behavior. Your child may become argumentative, hard to deal with, or he may exhibit violence. This may be because the gang is starting to greatly influence him.
8. Your child starts using gang language or gang graffiti. He may start talking in slang that you or anyone outside the gang won't recognize or understand. This may be your child's way of not letting anyone outside his gang know of their activities. He may also have gang graffiti on his stuff. Gang graffiti is used to by gangsters to communicate or to identify themselves.
9. Your child starts using nicknames or aliases. Most gang members don't use their real name in the gang community. This may be their way of not letting anyone know them personally.
10. Your child starts dressing differently. Most gang members wear only a specific type of clothing.

The best way to know if your child is in a gang is by having an open communication with him.  Most kids join gangs because they feel a lack of support from their parents. If you have brought up your child with an open communication with you, he won't be uncomfortable in telling you anything.