Pointers for Parents
Eight strategies to reduce underage drinking.
by Dr. Peter L. Benson
TWEENS & TEENS News December 2005
The good news for adolescents and their parents
is that kids can get help dealing with life’s
daily challenges and potential pitfalls, such
as giving in to peer pressure and consuming
alcohol. Parents have a lot more influence
than they may realize, and there are many
concrete actions that they can take daily
to help youngsters make the right decisions.
Instead of just worrying about problems, positive
actions can help to build the strength in
our children that helps them make healthy
choices.
Through extensive research, Search Institute
has identified the essential building blocks,
or Developmental Assets, of healthy development
for children and teenagers. Understanding
these assets gives parents and other caring
adults the tools to unlock their children’s
potential and help them thrive. Research has
also shown that the more of these assets that
young people have, the more likely they are
to resist unhealthy behaviors.
Developmental Assets have already been used
in over 600 communities and thousands of organizations
across the United States— including
widespread use in New York and New Jersey—
to promote healthy children and communities.
There are eight categories of Developmental
Assets you can focus on to help your tween
or teen make positive choices and thrive in
life. In the process, you’ll make it
less likely that they’ll use alcohol
or engage in other high-risk behaviors.
1. Support: Young people
need encouragement, support and love from
parents and others. By inviting other caring,
responsible adults to be a part of your child’s
life, you can broaden your child’s experiences
and network of care, encouragement and guidance.
2. Empowerment: Young people
should be active contributors inside and outside
the home, taking on appropriate responsibilities
for themselves, their families, their communities
and the organizations to which they belong.
Opportunities to explore their leadership
abilities and to serve others let tweens and
teens know they’re valued and valuable.
3. Boundaries and expectations:
Young people need to know what’s expected
of them. They need clear rules and consequences
for what they should and shouldn’t do.
Starting that process early makes it easier
when they have more independence as teenagers.
When it comes to underage drinking, important
boundaries include setting clear expectations
about young people not drinking, modeling
responsibility as an adult, keeping tabs on
where your children spend time and never providing
alcohol for young people.
4. Constructive use of time:
With so many social, recreational and educational
opportunities available, most young people
stay busy. But “keeping busy”
is not always the most constructive use of
a child’s— or a family’s
— time. Shared and individual hobbies,
spiritual activities, volunteer work, youth
programs and quality time at home all play
a role in healthy development.
5. Commitment to learning:
Nurturing a lifelong commitment to learning
begins with the belief that all young people
can learn and have something they can teach
others, even adults. Finding opportunities
for your family to learn and celebrating learning
through daily activities help demonstrate
its importance.
6. Positive values: By talking
with your children about what’s really
important to your family (such as honesty
and responsibility), you help them develop
an internal compass to guide their choices.
Positive values begin at home, but they don’t
end there. Showing care, concern and respect
for your neighbors and your community also
helps instill positive values in your children.
A key positive values asset is restraint—
understanding that it’s wrong for teenagers
to consume alcohol or engage in other high-risk
behaviors.
7. Social competencies:
Every child needs to learn how to build relationships,
make decisions, resolve disagreements, cope
with challenges and get along with different
kinds of people. Those are skills children
begin learning from their parents.
8. Positive identity: A
strong sense of their own power, purpose,
worth and promise helps young people make
wise decisions. Listen to your children talk
about their sense of purpose in life, ask
what they are passionate about and encourage
their discoveries and capabilities.
Many different approaches are needed to address
the problem of underage drinking. An asset-building
strategy that promotes academic success, diverts
youth from risky behaviors, increases civic
engagement and gives young people the foundation
to make positive choices can make a big difference.
The Internet can be a great place for you
to explore Developmental Assets further and
instill them in your children. MVParents.com
provides asset-building tools parents need
to become the “most valuable players”
in their children’s lives. Parents can
also register for Everyday Parenting Ideas,
a weekly e-mail update with tips, ideas and
encouragement.
Dr. Peter L. Benson is president of Search
Institute, a national leader in generating
cutting-edge ideas, research and strategies
for nurturing healthy, thriving children and
adolescents since 1958. Dr. Benson speaks,
lectures and publishes widely, and consults
with numerous communities, organizations,
foundations and policy makers on youth development
issues. His research has pioneered new thinking
and action in how hundreds of communities
across the country can mobilize and unite
to raise healthy, successful and caring children
and adolescents.
