Most parents want to do a good job of parenting all through their child’s life. The complex part of this is how can you tell if you are being a good parent?
You need to evaluate how you are doing one task at a time. Are you talking regularly with your child? Do you teach responsibility by giving your child chores on a regular basis? Do you read with your child regularly? This is just a partial list. You could come up with a number more.
One part of parenting that is worthwhile to evaluate is how you are doing in terms of your child being into alcohol. Parents can help their children avoid alcohol problems by doing the following:
• Talk about the dangers of drinking with your children
• Drink responsibly, if as the parent you choose to drink
• Serve as positive role models in general
• Do not make alcohol available to minors
• Get to know your children’s friends
• Have regular conversations about life in general with your children
• Supervise all parties or teenage gatherings to make sure there is no alcohol
• Encourage your kids to participate in healthy and fun activities that do not involve alcohol
Quiz time
Below is a quiz for parents to check themselves out in terms of making good decisions about the alcohol involvement of their child. You might add a few more and then see what the issues involving alcohol might be. See how you would do.
1) At what age does the average teenager first try alcohol?
a. 10 b. 12 c. 15 d. 16 e. 17 f. 18
2) What is the place that teens are most likely to drink?
a. At home b. At a friend’s house c. In their own or a friend’s car d. In bars e. Outdoors
3) What percentage of car crashes involve teens and alcohol?
a. 10 b. 17 c. 35 d. 50
4) What percentage of parents say they have spoken to their teens about alcohol and driving in the last month?
a. 25 b. 50 c. 75 d. 100
5) What percentage of teens say their parents have spoken to them in the past month about alcohol and driving?
a. 25 b. 50 c. 75 d. 100
6) Does a parent’s alcohol consumption have an influence on a teen’s relationship with alcohol?
Yes____ No____
7) If your teen called you from a party at 1 a.m. asking you to come pick them up, would you:
a. Be irritated she called to ask
b. Be annoyed
c. Reprimand or even punish him or her for calling
d. Be happy, especially since you regularly encourage him or her to call you any time of day or night for a safe ride
8) Does the age your child become a drinker of alcohol matter in terms of developing alcohol problems?
Yes_____ No_____
Make up a quiz for yourself on other areas you hope you are doing a good job in your parenting.
Quiz answers
1 (b), The age of 12 is when most children first sip or try alcohol.
2 (a and b) It is clear that teens are more likely to drink at home or at a friend’s home.
3 (b) 17 percent of accidents involve teens while only 10 percent of the drivers are teens.
4 (c), 5 (a) Teens say parents have spoken about alcohol (25 percent) with them but parents say they have spoken with their teens (75 percent). This is a big difference. Where do you fit?
6 (yes) Parents have more of an influence on their child’s drinking than anyone else. When asked 61 percent say friends influence their drinking.
7 (d) The importance of your child calling you when he or she is in difficulty cannot be overestimated. Always be ready to help.
8 (yes) The younger a child becomes addicted the more serious the problems become. Alcohol also causes an increase in depression (Science Daily, Feb. 6, 2019).
Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which publishes newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents. For more information, email to info@firstteacher.org or call 360-681-2250.
