If you have alcohol in your home, keep track of it - know what and how much you have, and keep it where it is not accessible to teens. Alert police if you have information about where/how teens are getting alcohol in your community.
Get to know the parents of your teen's friends. Let the parents of your teen's friends know your rules, and where you stand on underage alcohol use. Make sure the parents of your teen's friends know they can call you if they have concerns about your teen, and offer to return the favor.
Enforce your rules consistently. Don't look the other way if your teen violates the rules. They need to know you're serious. Tell your teen what behavior you expect from them while they are out. Decide, before a rule is broken, what would be a fair and appropriate consequence; then be sure to communicate that with your teen.
Before your teen goes out, ask if adults will be present and if alcohol will be present. Check with other parents about your teen's activities or drop by once in a while where your teen tells you they will be. Be sure your teen knows how to reach you before they leave the house. Ask your teen for the address and phone number of the home they will be visiting.
Wait up, or set the alarm for curfew time. When they arrive home, looks for signs of use. Talk with your teen about their night. Prepare in advance for what you would do and say the FIRST time you discover that your teen has been drinking.
MidCoastParentsConnect is the parent resource within CASA, Communities Against Substance Abuse, a local coalition of community partners dedicated to keeping kids safe from drugs and alcohol. We recognize that the safety of kids in our community is a shared responsibility. Working together, parents can find out more to do more to keep our kids safe on their journey to adulthood.
Please Note: You don't have to have a facebook account to view our Facebook page. Just click here or on the Mid Coast Parents Connect logo in the box above and you'll connect to our page.
