Finding Your Anti-drunk

13 June 2016

How to Make Sure Your Teen has a Fun, Safe Summer

Party tips and advice for parents

Now that school is out for the summer, your teenage son or daughter is probably going to spend a lot of time with his or her friends, and not as much time at home as they used to when they were younger. You can expect them to get invitations to parties, maybe go out on dates, and if they have access to a car (or one of their friends does), maybe even go on a road trip or vacation on their own. To make sure your teen has a fun, safe summer, these are some ways they can stay safe as well as keep their friends from getting into trouble or getting hurt.

Consider hosting parties at your place

It’s inevitable that your child will want to go out and have fun at night. Almost every grade at school will have that one kid whose parents spend a month on vacation somewhere else and leave their child unattended. This is, understandably, not the best place for your child to spend a night. Why not consider having your son and daughter invites their friends over to your house instead? This way, you can supervise the party and make sure that no one is drinking. Or if you decided to serve alcohol – knowing it’s against the law – that at least no one drinks too much. You can also forbid access to private areas of your house if you’re worried about teens “hooking up” on your property – although it might be better just to have a strict guest list of who’s allowed to come over, so that way only people who everyone is comfortable with are allowed in.

Talk about designated drivers

Remind your child that it is illegal for anyone below the legal drinking age to get behind the wheel if they have had even one drink. Let them know that if they are going somewhere that alcohol or other drugs are going to be consumed, they should either refrain from consumption or choose a trustworthy friend to be the driver. Better yet, offer to pick them up when they want to go home, give them money for hailing a taxi through an app such as Uber or Lyft, or remind them that they can simply spend the night wherever they go to party and drive back the next day.

Talk about consent and safe sex

Let’s face it: not every teen is going to a party just so they can play video games with friends or dance to music. They might be going because the girl or guy they like is there. It’s healthy and normal for teens to want to have sex, so instead of pretending it’s not happening, make sure they know what’s OK and what isn’t. Explain to your son that a girl has the right to say no to him, no matter what he thinks – and that it’s not the end of the world if he’s rejected. It’s also not OK to keep having sex – in some states, such as California, it’s illegal – if his partner changes her mind at any point and says no. Explain to your daughter that the best way for her to be safe is to go with friends to parties and to keep an eye out for each other in case one of them looks uncomfortable.

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