
I had the privilege of attending and chairing the Dakota Medical Foundation annual meeting this past week. As you might know, DMF is a regional health foundation started along with Dakota Hospital back in the 1960’s. When the hospital was sold in the late 1990’s, part of the proceeds came to the foundation, which has had a major role in improving the health and wellness of our communities. We got to share information about Lend A Hand Up which is expanding its reach for online and in-person benefits supporting those having medical crises. We learned about a new workplace health initiative called P5 to help our companies have the healthiest workforce in the nation. And of course, we talked a lot about Giving Hearts Day on February 8th! We got to honor several people who are doing amazing work in the field of addiction.
- Discuss the issues. Kids want to hear about alcohol from their parents. They trust you and rely on you for information and advice. Keep the lines of communication open. Not everyone drinks. They think of it as a social benefit, but encourage them to know that they can fit in without drinking.
- Educate by example.Talk to them about responsible alcohol use, and how you set your own rules and boundaries. Parents who drink and have lenient attitudes about drinking and more likely to have teens who exhibit risky behavior due to alcohol. Make it a point to have alcohol-free events so that everyone can have fun without drinking.
- Listen and engage. Be aware of your kid’s friends and get to know their parents. Set clear expectation about activities and events. Be clear to other parents about your views on alcohol.
- Cultivate a good relationship with your teen with clear and open communication. Parent-child relationships characterized by emotional warmth, support, trust, involvement, and attachment are associated with lower levels of alcohol misuse. Be there through the hormonal changes, school commitments and peer pressure.
- Your expectations matter, for your teen and other adult influences. Involve your teen in developing the rules and understanding the importance of them. They may not like the rules you set, but knowing the reason behind them will help.