Are YOU a
Problem Parent?
We’ve
all heard about a “problem child” – but what about a problem parent?
Could you be one?
A
report from the National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University sorts
through the behavior and attitudes of parents that may encourage risky behavior
in their teens – including alcohol and drug experimentation. The data falls
into four categories:
Failure to Monitor School Night Socializing
v
Nearly one-half (46%) of
teens say that they typically go out with friends on school nights, while only
14% of parents say that their teens do so.
v
Once out, 53% of teens
come home between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. and15% come home later.
v
The later teens stay out,
the more likely they are to use alcohol or other drugs - even among older teens.
Nearly one-third (29%) of those who come home between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. and
50% of those who come home after 10:00 p.m. say there’s alcohol or drug use
among the kids they are with.
Failure to Safeguard Prescription Drugs
v
One-third of teens who
know someone who abuses prescription drugs say that person gets the drugs from
parents, home, or medicine cabinets.
Failure to Address Drugs in School
v
One-third of parents think
that the presence of drugs in school does not make it more likely that their
child will use drugs. Yet previous CASA surveys have found that teens attending
schools where drugs are used, kept, or sold are 5 times more likely to use
marijuana, 15 times more likely to use prescription drugs, and 16 times more
likely to use an illegal drug (other than marijuana or prescription drugs).
Failure to Set a Good Example
v
One-fourth of all teens
know a parent of a classmate or friend who uses marijuana - and 10% say that
this parent smokes with people the teens’ age.
If you
feel some of these points apply to you, please don’t despair! According to
CASA, “by identifying the characteristics of these problem parents, we hope to
identify actions that parents can take -and avoid - in order to raise healthy,
drug-free children and become part of the solution”.
If you
have questions or concerns, please contact the S.A.F.E. PVPS Prevention
Counselor at your child’s school.
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