The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Parenting a teen can be challenging! But hang in there—talking with your teen is an important part of helping keep your family safe. Fortunately, you can improve parent-teen communication simply by learning how teens reason and make choices. (Hint: It’s different from adults!) You can also learn communication strategies that encourage teens to come out of their shells. Find these insights, tips, and techniques in MADD program brochure . Isn’t it better for parents to give teens alcohol under supervision? Won’t we help them learn to drink responsibly that way?  Parents, of course, have the choice of how to raise their own children. But you might want to consider lessons from science before handing your son or daughter a drink. Research shows that when parents give alcohol to kids, those children are more likely to get into alcohol-related trouble and they’re more likely to drink to get drunk than other young people. Giving kids a drink—even with the best of edu...

It is that time of the year and teens are excited about their proms and graduation. With this usually comes celebration, but remember, drinking age is usually 21 years-old.  Parents need to encourage their teens to make smart choices.  There is the POWER of PARENTS! Steps you can take at home: Help your son or daughter steer clear of the dangers of underage drinking with these five steps: Step 1: Think of yourself as a coach Your role in preventing underage drinking is similar to coaching. You can help your teen by Sharing information Discussing choices and monitoring behavior Helping your teen anticipate and handle challenging situations Cheering your teen on to make smart, safe choices Step 2: Get busy communicating Begin a series of conversations with your son or daughter—proactively, before he or she gets caught drinking—about how: Alcohol is a drug with serious sedative effects Drinking has health dangers and other risks for young people...