Kids
Rep. Heath Shuler and Ask Listen Learn!
Now that school’s back in session, Ask, Listen Learn is back visiting schools! Today we visited Erwin Middle School in Asheville, NC with Congressman Heath Shuler!
We had a great time with the kids, and it’s always a pleasure to revisit Asheville. We’d like to thank Principal Hathaway and everyone at Erwin Middle School, and Congressman Shuler for his consistent support!
Back to school!
It’s time to head back to school! Today, kids in the Washington DC area are trudging back to school. A whole bunch of kids have already headed back, while millions more will do so soon.
There are many ways to get your kid ready – school supplies, clothes, perhaps a lunchbox. Telling your kid to study hard, and the importance of education – you can’t forget that.
But another important way to get your kid ready is to talk about alcohol. Transition periods- such as new environments, new people, and new circumstances – are times where kids are very vulnerable to trying alcohol.
Since a new school year is often such a transition, you should make sure to talk to your teen about the dangers of alcohol (PDF), ways to say no to alcohol, and ways to stay busy and active. Help make sure that your kid’s school year will be an opportunity for growth and learning.
Meet Our New Ask, Listen, Learn Team Captain!
CONGRATULATIONS to Captain Jessica W. of Avoca, Iowa, the winner of our "Be The Captain of the Ask, Listen, Learn Team Contest"! Jessica's essay showed that she is dedicated to saying "YES" to a healthy lifestyle and "NO" to underage drinking and will be featured in the December Issue of Sports Illustrated: KIDS alongside a special VIP athlete! Stayed tuned for more about Jessica and our VIP!
Social host laws, keeping teens safe
One of the issues we’re passionate about here is the role that parents play in preventing underage drinking. Time after time, studies have shown that underage drinking can impair a teen’s physical and mental health, even making the teen more prone to future problems with alcohol.
Parents can play a critical role in curbing a teen’s access to alcohol, and social-host laws reinforce that fact.
65% of teens obtain alcohol via family and friends. Parents then are the first and most important barrier between teens and alcohol. Many towns and counties have social-host ordinances, prosecuting those who are 21+ for providing alcohol at underage drinking parties.
By holding parents and older friends accountable for providing alcohol, social host laws reinforce the idea that parents should never encourage underage alcohol abuse. Furthermore, social-host laws have been found to reduce drunk-driving fatality rates among those 18-20 years old by 9%.
A person’s teen years are some of the most important, formative years of their life. Alcohol hinders this development. By following social host laws, parents remove a big obstacle in a teen’s path to adulthood.
Share your story about underage drinking
Most people know the dangers of underage drinking. They know how it can lead to dangerous situations, put you in legal trouble, and make it harder to excel academically and athletically.
But sometimes facts and statistics on teen drinking can sound a little hollow up against real experience. That’s why we want you to send us your stories, any stories you have, about underage drinking.
As a result of growing public awareness, underage drinking has fallen fairly consistently over the past decade, and we hope to keep seeing it go down with initiatives focusing on kids healthy lifestyles as well as encouraging college students to look for solutions within their own communities.
We’re hoping that you can help us push underage drinking rates down even further. If you have a story to share, email it to us at TCC@Centurycouncil.org.
10 ways to make your family vacation a pleasant one
Originally published in The Globe and Mail
1. If they have a good time, that’s great. But don’t spend too much effort trying to make them have a good time. Don’t be too disappointed if the vacation does not work out for them. You can’t force someone to enjoy themselves. Also, teens often get a lot more out of a vacation than you think. You just don’t get to see it: “Like I’m going to say, ‘Oh. Wow. This is great.’ to my parents. I don’t think so.”
2. Electronic devices are good. During the year, you may cut back and limit their use, but on family vacations – especially for long car trips – they’re a blessing. You’ll definitely get less of this: “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.” There’s always something to do when you have the electronic world at your finger tips.