Keys to an Incident-Free Holiday
story by Circle Park Behavioral Services
The Holiday Season is a busy time for many adults with family gatherings, social events, celebrations and traditional festivities. According to Nicole Cogdell-Quick, a licensed clinical counselor with Circle Park Behavioral Services, it is also a particularly important time to focus on the safety of their teens and even pre-teens. “The holidays can be an extremely challenging time as youth are faced with difficult choices in how to safely and legally enjoy the holidays with their friends. They will have more social opportunities and activities during the holidays, many away from the supervision of their parents. It is important during this busy time to take a time out with them and discuss your expectations and boundaries for the choices they make, particularly in regards to underage drinking.”
Mrs. Quick added, “Research continues to show that parents have a great deal of influence on the choices their children make. In fact, many teens find it comforting to have parents show enough interest in them to set boundaries and rules in regards to their choices. When parents are clear on their ‘no alcohol use rules and consequences,’ their children are less likely to partake in underage drinking during the holiday season.”
We encourage all parents to exercise their right to set boundaries and expectations for good choices and join us in ensuring that our community enjoys a safe and incident free holiday season.
Parents can help to avoid underage drinking incidents by utilizing a few of the following tips:
• Be clear with your expectations; let your child know that regardless of the situation, underage drinking and/or being at a location where it is taking place is simply illegal and unacceptable.
• Teach your children it is not necessary to have alcohol to have a good time. Plan and provide a non-alcoholic kid friendly holiday party.
• Help your children serve and enjoy traditional holiday drinks without alcohol such as cider, eggnog or punch.
For parents of underage youth it is important to monitor all temptations with the social activities that accompany the holiday season. It is important to pay close attention to the age of anyone consuming alcohol.
A few tips to assist with this would be:
• Never serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 21.
• If you maintain alcohol at home, make sure to keep track of your supply at all times.
• Establish a friendly relationship with parents of your children’s friends so that you can call ahead and make sure alcohol will not be involved in the parties or activities your child may be attending and that appropriate supervision will be on hand.
• Make sure your child is maintaining healthy friendships and having friends who chose not to make alcohol a part of their holiday season.