Troubled Teens Resources

Maybe there would be far less need for teen crisis intervention if parents would just sit down and talk to their kids on a regular basis. Parents had no trouble talking to their teens when they were five and six about the dangers of strangers. It has been proven that parents who are just as adamant about warning their teens about the dangers of drugs exert a good deal of influence on their teens behavior.

“Jill Spineti, the president and chief executive officer of the Governor’s Prevention Partnership, said in the release, “Numerous studies reveal that parents’ attitudes and beliefs are a factor in a teenager’s decision making. Parents who talk to their teens often about the threats of substance abuse are less likely to use than those who don’t. There’s no minimizing the importance of parents staying informed about existing and new threats and relaying their expectations in a clear, forthright manner. For parents, the risk isn’t in speaking up; it’s in staying silent.

The most recent partnership survey also showed that parents are looking for guidance. Nearly one-third say they have a need for more information about drugs; 30 percent say they need tips on how to start a discussion about drugs; and 37 percent report they want information on how to tell if a child is using drugs.”

(Source)

Other important influences are parents who demand to know where their teens are at all times. Teens at risk need to know the rules and the consequences of breaking them. Another important factor is having those family dinners together at least twice a week.

Family dinner has become an anachronism. Who in the world has the time to make a family dinner, let alone gather the entire tribe around the table at one time? But then, who has the heart and time to deal with the tragedies that ensue when a family has no traditions, no basis for connection, other than that they live in the same house and share the same last name.

Who has time for troubled teenagers, bad grades and
teen age drug abuse? If the “family dinner” has been proven to be a tool in the chest used in teen crisis intervention, than it certainly doesn’t hurt to give it a try.

” The tragedy of a child’s substance abuse can strike any family; there are no silver bullets, but one factor that does more to reduce teens’ substance abuse risk than almost any other is parental engagement, and one of the simplest and most effective ways for parents to be engaged in their teens’ lives is by having frequent family dinners.

This nation’s drug problem is all about kids. A child who gets through age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or using illegal drugs is virtually certain never to do so. The CASA survey and 12 years of my life devoted to understanding this problem lead me to this bottom line: America’s drug problem is not going to be solved in court rooms, legislative hearing rooms or classrooms, by judges, politicians or teachers. It will be solved in living rooms and dining rooms and across kitchen tables–by parents and families.”

(Source)
(H/T: Ann Kroeker)

It isn’t the dinner folks, it’s the connection, it’s the communication, it’s the heart of the family staying healthy and teenagers observing a model of the family that works. The link above will give you the data to support the facts.