While Parkhill High School senior Jordan Elder usually dishes out advice to her peers, on Wednesday she took the time to talk to parents about the perils of underage drinking.
“Starting the conversation - it's as easy as sitting down and asking your child, ‘What are your thoughts on underage drinking?’ and comparing it to theirs and telling them, ‘This is my expectation for you - you have a future, you have goals, this is not going to get you there,” said the 17-year-old.
For kids living in the Kansas City Northland, the average age that they begin drinking is 12 - that's sixth grade. And of the kids who say they've had at least one alcoholic beverage at some point in their lives, 22 percent of them say it was a time in the last month. That’s why multiple organizations came together with one common goal - to keep kids across the metro safe this prom and graduation season.
“Underage drinking can change lives, it can kill people,” said Emily Schell with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD. “When they take the steps to avoid underage drinking they are saving lives. Every April 21 we encourage parents to make the effort to talk to their kids about preventing underage drinking. Three out of four teens say that their parents are their leading influence in their decision about alcohol. If parents are talking, teens are definitely listening.”
Research shows that kids who learn a lot from their parents about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs are 50 percent less likely to use than those who do not.
“It might be a hard conversation but it's necessary because when a child or teenager chooses to drink, they are affecting way more than just themselves,” said Jordan. “They are affecting everyone around them, they are affecting whoever may be in the car with them and everyone else on the roads and then their families. There's a very large scope of who it will affect.”
Because, Elder says, while parents may not physically be there on prom or graduation night, their words can be.
Want to break the ice when it comes to talking to a child or teen about the dangers of underage drinking? Parent Up KC says this Expectations for a Night Out contract can help. Download and print it here.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
