How can we ensure the SAFEty and health of our teens, while also allowing them to have a good time?

Take a look at this interesting article about weekday Proms:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/education/14prom.html?emc=eta1

What do you think?  Share your thoughts.

I received this information in a recent newsletter and I wanted to share it with my Safe Homes Parents!  I have recently sent you information on alcohol advertising and teachable moments.  This weekend will provide you with a great opportunity to use your new skills!

February 7, 2010, families across America (and worldwide) will be tuning in to watch this year’s NFL Super Bowl. Last year’s game was watched by 98.7 million Americans, making it the largest viewed television event ever.

But it’s not just about football. The Super Bowl is known for its commercials almost as much as it is for the game itself. Of that wide viewing audience, about 18% will be youth under 21. If your child is one of them, he or she will be exposed to alcohol advertising.

Why the concern? Research shows that the more youth are exposed to alcohol in advertising, the more likely they are to consume alcohol underage (1). During last year’s game, a beer company not only took top vote for producing the overall favorite commercial, but also earned the “Top Advertiser” title with more commercial time than any other sponsor (2). This year will likely be no different.   

So if your child will be watching the Super Bowl, we encourage you to not only watch it with him or her, but to use the commercials as teachable moments, helping your child to understand and develop the ability to resist messages that should not be aimed at youth.

Here are some questions to ask your child to get the conversation started:

• What is this ad trying to sell you?
• Is this product healthy for you?
• How is this ad sponsor trying to get you to buy their product?
• How do you feel about the product now?

Teaching your child to “read between the lines” of advertisements is called media literacy (3). For more information on helping your child identify, analyze and evaluate media messages, please visit: www.ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/phd711/fivesteps.aspx.

Adapted from Know! - www.helpthemknow.com   

Sources: (1) Marin Institute, Alcohol Industry Watchdog, 2009. (2) The Nielsen Company, 2009. (3) US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, 2009.

1. Teach your children to trust you by seeing you as a role model.

2. Be patient, not just tolerant. Apologize when you make a mistake or do something you regret.

3. Ask teens what they need from you – and do whatever you can to meet those needs.

4. Listen to your teens, a lot. Avoid interrupting.

5. Teach your children about ethics, values and principles they can apply in choices and decision making.

6. Help them discover the feeling of gratitude, not just to say thank you.

7. Keep the promises you make. If you do not keep your word, acknowledge that. Help your teen understand the circumstances or choices that precipitated the change in your plans.

8. Answer your teen’s questions and be consistent. When you notice behavioral changes in them, make yourself available and encourage them to talk about what is going on in their life.

9. Be understanding when they have a difficult time and let them know you will love them no matter what.

10. Be diligent. Have ongoing conversations with your kids about the risks of drugs and alcohol.

Published by The Partnership for a Drug Free America - www.timetotalk.org

• 2/3 parents say that seeing and hearing alcohol ads made teens more likely to drink
• 3/4 parents feel that alcohol companies are not doing enough to limit the amount of alcohol advertising that teens are seeing

     The good news is that in a separate survey conducted by Washington State University researchers found that despite the strong media influence, parents play an important role in discouraging their teens from drinking.  The study showed that parents who take a critical position concerning television programming usually pass that on and their teens are less likely to drink.

     Help your teens see the fallacies of alcohol portrayals - discuss the untruths and the risks.

• Monitor their media. Restrict viewing to age appropriate hours. Place computers in areas of the home where you can monitor what they are doing. Listen to what they are listening to (no matter how painful it may be!) and screen their play lists. You cannot catch it all, but increase your awareness of what they are seeing and hearing.  Research any new movies they would like to see or television shows they watch regularly.
• Develop "media literacy". Take advantage of teachable moments by examining the underlying messaging. Discuss what they are seeing and hearing. Help them to understand marketing strategies. Encourage them to analyze what is being portrayed and conduct a comparison to your family values. Help your teens develop media literacy. 
• Pay attention to their behavior and appearance. Are they emulating what they see or developing a "brand loyalty"? It is never too late to step in and help them understand the influence of media on them.
• Monitor your own actions. Your teens are more likely to do as you do, than do as you say. Show your teen your media literacy by changing the channel or better yet discussing the context of the portrayal of alcohol in an advertisement, television show, movie, music video, etc. Pay attention to your reactions to brands you like or a message that appeals to you.
• Establish appropriate rules and monitor consistently.  Determine what is acceptable entertainment in your family.  Enforce and explain when violations occur.  Compromise when appropriate and after thorough research.

This is what the researchers are saying.....what are you doing in practice?  Share you ideas by leaving a comment!

During lunch, the SHARP Sisters from Aiken, SC were brave enough to sit on a panel in front of 300 symposium participants!  These middle, high, and college girls answered questions about boys, body image, beauty, sex, teen pregnancy, dating violence, and parents.  When asked:

Q: What do you need from your parents to feel closer to them?

A: I need them to LISTEN first and the TALK!

That is a pretty universal statement that I have heard from both male and female teens.  What does that mean to you as a parent?  How do you respond to your teen?

Greenville Family Partnership, Pavillon, and FAVOR of Greenville invite you attend Legacy of Hope, a unique performance that gives a realistic view of the myriad of issues facing teenagers and young adults today.  Legacy of Hope is a one woman show by Susie Vanderlip, a national speaker and writer on prevention, youth, and family issues.  She is the author of the award-winning book, 52 Ways to Protect Your Teen - Guiding Teens to Good Choices and Success.  She has touched over one million parents, teens, counselors, and teachers in 47 states and Canada.

     Her message of hope and concrete solutions leads to overcoming adversity, compassion, improved communication in relationships, and responsible life choices.

     "From the moment she steps on stage you can't look away. Her personal story and talent provide hope and guidance for thriving in the face of addiction's devastation."

     In describing Legacy of Hope, Vanderlip said, "Rather than another lecture about the facts of what alcohol, tobacco or drugs can do to you, it is about giving audiences a safe moment to acknowledge their real feelings from past and present, to respecting their feelings, even when they are painful, and to learn to listen to feelings as messages about our need for communication, connection and compassion."

     Please join us:

      October 22, 2009

      Scottish Rite Center (817 Cleveland Street, Greenville, SC 29601)

      7:00pm - 8:30pm

      No Charge for Admission

     Bring your family to participate in this experience together!  It is a great conversation starter!

Would you think to inspect a can of whipped cream brought into your home by your child or their friends?

What will they come up with next?

Receive information like this and more by joining the Safe Homes Parent Network.  Contact Melissa Rittenhouse for more information.  864-467-4099

     Today, I was forwarded an article from www.times.com titled, "A Sip Too Far: Italy Starts Cracking Down on Underage Drinking."  The reporter examines the current "let's-go-get-loaded spirit" of Italy's young people.  A local bartender is interviewed and quoted as saying, "Lots of young people don't even know what they're drinking...they just [want] to get drunk."  This sounds familiar to me; I think the same thing could be said of America's young drinkers.

     The difference is the minimum legal drinking age.  In Italy, the national minimum legal drinking age is 16, but, according to the article, is often ignored or rarely enforced.  Officials in Italy are now beginning to take note of some startling statistics regarding the consequences of the current drinking habits of young people and especially pre-teen youth.  The articles sites that 34% of 11-year-olds have "problems with alcohol" and 63% of youth under 18 get drunk on the weekend (boys consuming an average of 4 drinks per session and girls consuming 6).  The city of Milan in northern Italy is taking action in what the mayor calls, "a response to an emergency", rather than some "newfound whiff of Puritanism".  The city has now imposed a strict new law in which the parents of anyone underage caught drinking and anyone who supplies alcohol to someone under 16 with alcohol will be punished.  The mayor hopes that this will send the message to young people and their families that "alcohol is bad for you and that alcohol abuse and dependence lead to negative consequences."

     In recent years, there has been renewed debate in America about lowering the drinking age.  The reasons used often include a reference to foreign countries with lower drinking ages and the perception that they do not have the same binge drinking culture that we do.  I believe that we need to look at these other countries more closely before accepting that statement as truth.  This article, as well as recent articles regarding the binge drinking culture in France, leads me to believe that lowering the drinking age would only expand our current binge drinking culture to younger youth.  If in Italy, with the minimum legal drinking age of 16, 11-year-olds are experiencing problems with alcohol, I can only imagine that by lowering the drinking age in America, we would find more middle schoolers and high schoolers suffering the consequences of alcohol abuse.  What do you think?