SPAN-DS Summer Tips

Summer is the time of year many of us wait for. We welcome the lack of structure, more laid back nature of the season and beautiful weather.

For teens, summer presents more freedom, which often provides opportunities to engage in risky behaviors. In fact, the highest occurrence of first-time alcohol use occurs during the month of July. See below for tips, gathered from leading parenting and substance abuse education sites, to consider for keeping your teen safe during the summer.

Establish Rules for Summer: Make your expectations about risky behaviors such as drinking, drugs and sex very clear and establish clear rules regarding unsupervised time (i.e., if your child can have friends home without an adult present and if so, who). The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that the average age of first marijuana usage is 14 years old, and that alcohol experimentation now routinely starts before age 12.  

Occupy: Keep your teen busy with a summer job, or supervised activity such as classes or camps. Too much down time creates boredom and presents the opportunity for risky behavior.  

Monitor: Know where and with whom your teen is all times. Try to talk on the phone with your child at least two times a day, and text them periodically as well. Try to have phone numbers for some of your teen’s friends and their parents, so you can contact them if you are unable to reach your child.  

Know What’s in Your Home: Keeping track of the alcohol in your home (in the fridge, garage, cupboards, wine cellar, etc.) is important, as well as knowing what’s in your medicine cabinet. There is a lot of peer pressure from friends to “bring” things from home to the beach, parties, or to just “hang out.”  

Know Your Child’s Friends: Friendships often change during the summer when kids are at jobs, camps, summer houses, etc. Knowing your teen’s current friends will give you the opportunity to talk to their parents in order to coordinate oversight, especially while you’re both at work.

Curfew: Setting a curfew keeps your child accountable. Be awake when your child arrives home so you can talk to your child. Kissing them good night can help you determine if alcohol or drugs have been used.

Hosting a Party: “Parents Who Host Lose the Most." Please remember that adults who serve alcohol to minors or are aware that alcohol is being consumed on their property, may be legally liable. 

Safe Driving: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the deadliest for drivers ages 15-20. Set strong guidelines for your teens that drive, and be sure to discuss the consequences, both legally and within the family, for reckless driving.

For more information, please visit our website www.span-ds.org.