Did You Know?
Information for Parents of Teens
Available Risks
I am not an expert in all of these subjects, but I do have a lot of experience working with teens and I know where to find resources from people that are experts on these subjects. So today, I'm going to start with one of many posts on drugs and alcohol because it is, after all, Red Ribbon Week.
I once heard someone wiser than me say that kids take the risks available to them. I immediately understood this to mean that all kids take risks, but there is a way to limit them. So how do you do it?
The first thing is to understand what risks are available to them. It's no accident that drugs and alcohol become available risks starting during the preteen years. A combination of puberty (increased risk taking in boys), peer pressure, availability, and more privacy/autonomy all lead to greater risk of drug and alcohol use. According to a national survey, 70% of high school seniors had used alcohol and half of them had used marijuana. This means the best way to reduce the availability of this risk is to know who your kids are hanging out with, what's being communicated through their phone, and to establish a trusting and real conversation about these issues at home. If you're not talking to your kids about drugs and alcohol, someone else is.
I've attached a PDF with lots of helpful information including questions to ask your student and ways to limit the risks available to your student. I also want to share the link from our website where you as a parent can report harmful or dangerous behavior at our school. Many times students feel more comfortable telling a parent about something that happened at school rather than a teacher or an administrator. If this happens, I encourage you to share that information with us using the link below:
In two weeks, I will be back with a "Did You Know" about Snapchat and parental controls on phones. Until then, take care and keep asking your kids questions!
RJ Rodrigue
Associate Principal
WHS Ninth Grade Center
About Me
Email: rjrodrigue@weatherfordisd.com
Website: http://ngc-hs.weatherfordisd.edlioschool.com/
Location: 1007 South Main Street, Weatherford, TX, United States
Phone: 817-598-2847
Twitter: @rjrodrigue