In 2016, the Illinois Youth Survey revealed that nearly a third of 12th graders in Iroquois County didn’t think that their parents saw any harm in them drinking. Despite the clear dangerous effects that drinking can have on children including an increased risk of damage to the developing brain, poor decision making, and alcohol use disorder, 32% of teens are under the impression that mom and dad don’t care.
Is this true? Do you care?
At TIP the Scale, we believe that the vast majority of parents don’t agree that their teen should be drinking, but we do believe that many of them haven’t had needed conversations with them about it. If you aren’t engaging your child regularly in conversations about the topic, how are they supposed to know if you approve or disapprove of them drinking?
If you haven’t told them not to drink, it’s fair to assume that they think it’s okay. They may have heard stories about you drinking as a teen. Maybe they see you have a glass of wine or a beer every now and then. Maybe no one has ever told your teen the consequences of drinking. Even if you believe that they shouldn’t be drinking, if they don’t explicitly know it, it’s not having the impact that you’ve intended it to.
Make sure that your teen understands that there are dangers attached to drinking, and that you disapprove of it. This understanding can prevent them from experiencing severe consequences including slipping grades, loss of their driver’s license, and alcohol-related accidents. The first step is to talk with them, and we can help. Visit us at TIPtheScale.org or read Eight Reasons To Talk About Alcohol With Your Teen Today here.
#TIPTruthThursday
Photo credit: Gustavo Alves (unsplash.com).