| Tips
for parents:
Don't
Be a Party to Teenage Drinking
Just a
few helpful steps can help parents avoid disaster. If
you are planning a party for your teen in your home this
summer:
Help make the guest list and limit the number to be
invited. Send personal invitations to avoid the dangers
of open parties.
Put your phone number on the invitation and encourage
calls from other parents to check on the event. Think
about inviting some of the other parents to help during
the party and to help you supervise to ensure no alcohol
or drugs are present, and to help ask uninvited
attendees to leave.
At the party, limit access to a specified area of your
property. Make sure there is plenty of food and soft
drinks available. Make regular, unannounced visits to
the party area throughout the evening.
If your teen is attending a party at someone else's
home, call the parent to verify the details and to
ensure there will be adult supervision and no alcohol
served.
Know how your teen is getting to and from the party. And
be aware when your teen arrives home. Seeing and kissing
your child good night is one way to detect if alcohol or
drugs were used.
If you are going away for the weekend or on vacation and
plan on leaving your teen home alone, be direct and set
clear expectations, ground rules and consequences if you
think your teen might be tempted to host a party. Notify
your neighbors and ask them to keep an eye out and
leave the phone numbers that should be called in the
event of a problem or an emergency.
Source: National
Highway Traffic Safety Council
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