At my house, we talk to our kids all the time about drugs, alcohol, and sex even though they’re still fairly young, just six and nine years old. Nathan and Lucie have already attended a few Just Say No and “good touch” presentations at school, so we try to keep the conversation going.
Yet many moms and dads are unsure how to talk to kids about drinking and being responsible even though 74% of kids (age 8-17) say their parents are the leading influence on their decisions about drinking. Research shows that as moms we are the number one influencers in dealing with this issue. Remind your kids that alcohol is an illegal drug – a zero tolerance policy is the best policy to have as a parent.
To help you start the conversation at your house, there’s a new resource, MADD’s The Power of Parents website, which just launched today.
Nationwide on Power of Parents, It's Your Influence by MADD from MADD Online on Vimeo.
Learn about The Power of Parents
On MADD’s The Power of Parents site you can take Safety Quiz, which gives you sound advice that talking to, spending time with and supervising your teen means they’re less likely to get in trouble with alcohol.
You can also subscribe to receive MADD’s research-based parent handbook and learn the best way to talk with your teenager about underage drinking. (The sign up box is in the lower left on the MADD’s The Power of Parents site.)
Right now the MADD’s The Power of Parents focuses on teenagers in high school. They’ll be adding content soon for parents of kids in college, middle school and elementary school.
You may also want to check out:
- the MADD Blog
- The MADD Twitter page
- The MADD Facebook page (become a Fan!)
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Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of MADD. A donation was made to MADD in my name to thank me for taking the time to participate.
