Because research shows that parents are the number one influence in their teens decision about alcohol, parents want to be very sure in discussing the dangers of alcohol and underage drinking. To sit down with your kids, you want to make sure you talk to them before any problems even arises. You want to communicate with respect, a mutual respect. You want to pick a good time where it's easy to sit down and talk and have a mutual conversation. You want to be direct and talk about our family values, our boundaries, and consequences if the boundaries are violated, like underage drinking, are violated. All of these are very important factors in talking with our children; doing it with respect. It is so important to communicate, with all of that, that you are doing it because you love them, because you care about their safety. That's the main concern that you have, about their safety. You also want to avoid conversation stoppers, like, "I'd better not catch you..." things like that. That will cause them to put up immediate defenses. Always maintain a mutual respect and listen to them, as well as, talk with them.