When there are enticements and pressures to drink seemingly everywhere they look, and alcohol is not so hard to obtain isn't it not only normal but likely that teens will drink? Shouldn't we face that reality, and focus our energies on finding safe ways to help them experiment a little, in the hopes that this will prevent bigger problems down the road? Really, how much can we expect of teenagers?
The short answer: we can, and should, expect a great deal from teens.
So, your baby is keeping you up at night? You’re desperate for sleep and the title of this post seemed liked the Holy Grail? You want to believe it could be true, that there is a magical answer out there.
Lisa Graham Keegan, Chair of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility's National Advisory Board and former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, highlights the crucial role of parents in her response to a recent Wall Street Journal article titled, "New Study Suggests Alcohol TV Ads are Linked with Underage Drinking."
Research from SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) revealed that parents are the number one reason why young people make good choices. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the same research pegs peers as the number one reason why they make bad choices. Perhaps the best news of all is that peers are the number two reason young people make good choices (Wallace, 2008).
That suggests a critical tipping point of influence.
My family is currently navigating a transition. My oldest son is married and a dad and has recently become an airman in the United States Air force; my middle son is in high school and involved in many different activities, sports, and interests; and my daughter isn’t far behind.