*This is post was created in partnership with Ask, Listen, Learn. All opinion is my own.
Have you chosen YOUR word for the year?
Do you even do that?
Over that last several years I have chosen one word as a theme for each year, but as I was considering the year ahead I found I couldn’t settle on just one word. As a result, I decided to choose a new word for each month. You see, my son is in the center of his senior year of high school and it is going to be a roller coaster of emotions and activity and I think… I am going to have baby-step my way through.
HOLD ME.
However, there is one word that rises to the top when I think of a word that applies to my role as a parent of a tween (and teens): RESPONSIBILITY.
The topic of responsibility is never not on the table when it comes to underage drinking.
Responsibility is a great option for a word of the year if you are still looking… It is also a perfect word to cover the entire season of parenting, especially tweens.
We intentionally teach responsibility in so many ways, homework, chores, friendship… But are we intentional about responsibility when it comes to underage drinking?
It is our responsibility to keep the lines of communication open with our kids. It is our responsibility to talk with our kids about the hard and uncomfortable things, like alcohol. Because frankly… those conversations are not as hard as you may think, andYOU (parents) have the most influence on whether or not your child will drink alcohol:
*Source*
Like I said… RESPONSIBILITY.
As we launch into a brand, new year it is a really good time to set some intentions… personally, professionally, and within our relationships.
You may think that it will be hard to raise the topic of alcohol and drinking with your kids, but it doesn’t have to be. One of the best ways (I think) is to be prepared and then wait for the opportunity to dig in. If opportunities don’t organically arise, we can create opportunities on the sly. Just like when we try to get intel on what our kids are up to when we are not around *wink wink*.
What I am saying is, there doesn’t have to be a family meeting. For example, while watching a football game (it’s playoff season!)… the countless beer commercials offer opportunity after opportunity to talk. It’s an opportunity to talk about the perceived fun and appeal of drinking vs. the ugly reality of the dangers of underage drinking.
If we are not talking about those dangers with our own kids, then the influences of commercials (which are made to entice), social media, and peer influence (Of course peer influence is NEVER enticing *italics to initiate sarcasm font*) may start to take over.
The folks at Ask, Listen, Learn have created some great resources for parents… from facts, to engaging videos about how alcohol affects the under-age brain, and even lesson plans (great for educators – get your kids’ schools on board!) if you decide you want to take it to the next level.
Follow this link to grab the above resource, and MORE!
Do you talk to your kids about underage drinking? Have you made the effort? Do you know the facts about underage drinking and how it affects the developing brain? Like, REALLY? Ask, Listen, Learn is a great resource created just for YOU. It filled with info that is easy to find, and loaded with inspiration for you to get rolling with your commitment to RESPONSIBILITY in 2018.
