Summer vacation has flew by for many that means it is time to go back to school. Some are just starting school for the first time while others have graduated high school and are heading off for college. For those of you with teens, it is important to keep your children educated about alcohol and underage drinking. Just because your child is going off to college, there are many responsibilities you must still remember as a parent when your child is away from home.
Whether your young adult is attending college, enlisting in the military or moving out on their own, it’s the ideal time for parents to talk to their children about underage drinking.
Tip #1: When your child is moving out, help them with the transition by setting clear expectations. Your child moving out does NOT free the young adult from responsibilities, family values, expectations or laws.
Tip #2: Take time to acknowledge positive choices and be sure to encourage your child when they are moving in the right direction.
Tip #3: Stay connected with your child. Schedule a time each week with your child to talk with them. By establishing a routine you are helping to open the lines of communication which allows you to create conversations around your child’s school events, activities and other things they are doing for the week.
This month I had the opportunity to interview MJ Corcoran, the official spokesperson for the Anheuser-Busch Family Talk About Drinking program. I had a question that I asked her that I wanted to share. For those of you with a child that doesn’t want to talk about drinking, here is another important tip to keep in mind.
I asked MJ Corcoran what should parents do when their child doesn’t want to talk about alcohol and underage drinking. Many of us are lucky and have children that don’t mind talking about the subject but many of us have children that shy away from it was well.
Tip #4: Her answer was to tell your child that you have a request. Simply tell your child that you need to talk to them and when is a good time. Respect their feelings and their schedule and allow them to pick a time that they can talk to you when its easiest for them.
My oldest child is 17 and will be a senior in high school in just a couple weeks. I have been discussing underage drinking throughout her years in high school and will continue to ask my daughter questions as she gets closer to turning 18 and graduating.
Above are just some of the important things that parents should remember when their young child is moving out. The Anheiser-Bush’s Family Talk About Drinking Facebook page offers a FREE downloadable parent guide that gives parents proven ways to get started with talking to your teens about underage drinking.
My kids are still little, so I have a few more years before I have to worry about this. This is great advice 🙂
This is great. Totally something I am not looking forward to but, great advice.
This is great advice. These years can be scary for kids and parents both so being prepared and ready to talk is important.
I am thankful that I don’t have to worry about this at the moment, but the day will come soon enough. Thanks for sharing information about underage drinking, it should definitely be something brought up to young people and how to be responsible.
The thought of ever having my child move out scares me… but she’s only 2 now. I love these tips and am so glad that my mom always made time to call me, even when I was “too busy” to talk.
These are some great tips, I can’t imagine how hard it is, I mean, you’ve been with these kids for so long. I’d want to find that balance between respecting privacy and staying close.
It’s also important that they understand that when they do return, they may have changed but you didn’t and neither did your house rules.
So true. They forget when they are in college and set their own hours and come and go as they please that on school vacations and other visits that they need to remember mom and dad still have to work the next morning.
I don’t have kids, so I wont’ have to deal with this. My sister has two, though. I’ll be directing her to this post.
This is a hard post to read because my little boy is going into middle school with the older and more experienced kids!!! Thanks for the tips because I will be using them often for the next…8 – 10 years!
I can’t believe our oldest will be off in just 5 years!
Great post. Just staying in contact regularly when your child moves out can keep them reminded of family values and laws!
Thankfully I still have lots of time, my oldest is 9. The thought of this depresses me!
I have two out of school and I am just worried about how my son will be in college. They don’t want to listen to and they think they know everything.
These are such great tips. It’s so important to stay connected during that time.
I imagine that is a hard conversation to have for both parent and child! These are some great tips I remember how overwhelming it seemed when I moved out!
I have two teens and we have talked about drinking many times. I think it is very important to talk about it and that the kids know they can talk to me anytime.
This is great, I know one day I will have the talk with my kiddos. Nice o know there’s resources to help parents.
This is great advice. My son is only just starting kinder, but I am sure this will be here before I know it!