Sending Your Child To Advice
The assumption is, as a parent, that there are some magical words I can deliver to my child, to save him from the culture that he will be facing at college. The question a parent should ask a child at this point is, “What has your high school experience with alcohol been?” The Institute for Social Research (University of Michigan 2013) reports that almost half of all 10th graders drink alcohol (MADD35).
A parent’s responsibility is to prepare the child to make healthy and productive choices for life. The ability to do so in the future is strongly dependent on the past. The goal at this point is to have open dialogue about the realities of what your child will face and how he or she will respond to such situations. Through open communication and discussing various scenarios through dialogue or role play, you as a parent will be able to help your college aged child discover positive ways to deal with circumstances that will arise. Ongoing communication will be essential to continuing to foster trust and communication for the future.