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Chapter 2

Growing up

Your daughter may start her life as a bold, brave tomboy, as a shy sensitive soul or as a dancing princess. As she grows she may well be all of these and more. As she explores her potential, her enthusiasms and her capabilities, how will you help her value herself for who she is rather than who she thinks she ought to be?

To acquire the self esteem that is essential for her emotional health and success she needs your guidance to discover her strengths, whether they are academic or sporting, social or emotional. She needs your help to deal with the inevitable disappointments and failures. She needs your encouragement to take risks so she can become brave, resilient and realistic.

Alcohol and Drugs

Your daughter is likely to face social pressures as she matures, including being urged to drink alcohol and perhaps to take drugs. She is most likely to be able to make sensible, informed decisions if she has good self-esteem and a strong sense of self-worth. By setting a good example and by communicating frequently in a non-judgemental way you will give her the best chance of keeping herself safe and maintaining her personal integrity. The media is full of poor role models and of stories of teenagers’ bad behaviour; by talking to her you can explain your concerns in a calm and loving way so that she will come to you first when she is worried or feeling pressured.

Teenagers and alcohol

Why has teenage drinking increased so dramatically – and, at times, so dangerously – in recent years? If it is because our children have low self-esteem, lack of social confidence or have some other deep-seated psychological issues, the underlying cause must be found and dealt with.

For the majority of teenage carousers, however, it isn’t anything serious – it’s just those ever-present favourite motivators for nearly all teenage behaviour, ‘having a laugh’, appearing ‘cool’ and being incapable of predicting consequences.

We can tell them until we are blue in the face that getting drunk is dangerous, causes road accidents (pedestrians as well as drivers), leads to people doing all sorts of things they’ll be embarrassed about for a long time to come and for girls can often be a factor in rape or sexual assault, but they are unlikely to pay much attention.

As usual, the tactic that won’t work is a lecture on irresponsible behaviour. Instead, try to think laterally:

• Do they want to have fun, be silly and let their hair down? Instead, how about a day at a theme park, laser tag, a visit to a racecourse or dog track, quad biking or abseiling?

• Do they want to feel adult and sophisticated? Instead, how about cocktails with all the trimmings but no alcohol? How about a group of parents hiring a disco for the kids? How about a party with great dance tracks and a punch that is rumoured to contain vodka? (Of course, it doesn’t, but you wouldn’t be the first parents to carry off that particular white lie!)

It is often suggested that allowing children a small amount of alcohol at home (the French wine and water model) can help to deglamorise later drinking at clubs. A good Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme at school should give teenagers plenty to think about as well as some hard information on the contents of alcopops and the potentially lethal combined effect of vodka and Red Bull, etc. If real shock tactics are called for, you could make them stay sober at a party where everyone else is drinking, or video them while under the influence themselves. It’s not funny the next day.

Getting drunk is not a phenomenon that is new to the present generation and making mistakes is part of growing up. However, we must try to protect our youngsters against making mistakes that could affect their lives permanently.

Teenage parties and alcohol

Most parents are worried about their children coming into contact with drugs, but the real social evil is alcohol. With spirits retailing at less than £10 a bottle in supermarkets, most teenagers can afford to pick up a bottle with their pocket money. Fake IDs are routine, and there is usually an older teen around to effect the transaction. The prevalence of alcopops has taken away one of the greatest bars on teenage drinking – the taste. Most young teenagers don’t like the taste of beer, wine or cider. Alcopops vary in their alcoholic content, but they appeal to those with a sweet tooth, go down like fizzy drinks and have become an entry level to drinking spirits. It is no surprise that teenage drinking is now a national problem.

The world of teenage parties and alcohol is one of the most difficult situations that parents face. Children will always try to play parents off against each other – ‘So-and-so’s parents let them, you are SO tight!’ – and the consequence is that it is tempting for parents to default to the level of the most liberal of parents. It is important that parents establish good lines of communication between each other and that they are clear about a number of keys issues, namely:

• at what age alcohol will be available

• the amount and type of alcohol that will be provided

• what levels of supervision will be in place throughout a party If alcohol is to be allowed at a party, limit access to wines and beers only (e.g. no spirits). Although alcopops, which are particularly popular with girls, blur the spirit/non-spirit divide, at least they are a ‘measured’ drink. A strong, active adult presence at all teenage parties is essential. ‘Policing’ duties range from excluding gate-crashers to being alert to ‘smuggled in’ illicit additional supplies of alcohol. A minimum of three adults at a ratio of one adult to ten teenagers should provide a good level of supervision and sufficient cover if anything goes wrong.

Alcohol is a normal part of adult society, and it is important that young people learn to drink responsibly. This skill is best taught in the home, with parents perhaps offering a glass of wine with a meal or when at a family gathering. Supervision is the key. The greatest dangers come when teenagers are given an opportunity to have access to alcohol – especially spirits – away from the home or behind closed doors.

Most importantly, parents should not underestimate the part that we play as role models to our children. Young people will pay more attention to what we do than to what we say.

Alcohol — how to spot if your child is drinking too much, the signs and how to tackle them

We should be under no illusions – alcohol can be extremely dangerous for children and teenagers, and you are right to be concerned if you think that your child is drinking. While a single glass of wine for a 16-year-old at a family dinner can help your children to understand the boundaries of social drinking, illicit binge drinking, especially of spirits, is damaging to a child’s health, can be life-threatening and can lead to extremely risky behaviour. Figures vary, but it is estimated that up to 80 per cent of early sexual experiences occur under the influence of alcohol, and the vast majority of these experiences are subsequently regretted.

So what can you do to protect your daughter? The first thing, of course, is to know if she is drinking and to do this you need to be very aware of where she is at all times. If she is out with friends, then always make sure that you see her on her return and engage her in conversation. If she smells of alcohol, or strongly of mints or of perfume, then you are right to be suspicious. Keep her talking and you will be able to see if there is any difference in her behaviour – is she chattier or more volatile than usual? If you are worried that you don’t know whether your child is drinking too much, then remember this: the safest approach is that any unsupervised alcohol is too much.

Don’t be naive about parties, even those supervised by other parents. Children – teenagers especially, and even the most law-abiding and delightful ones – need to try to break the rules and are extraordinarily ingenious when it comes to doing so. Drink can easily be smuggled into houses, and innocent-looking water bottles can easily contain vodka. Parties with sleepovers usually mean that parents go to bed before their charges, and it is then that the hidden stash of wine or spirits can appear. Share your concerns with the people supervising the party, talk to your daughter to set out your expectations and follow this up. If you are in any doubt about the party, put your foot down – hard though this will be – and weather the storm (but replace it with something else amazing to do instead with you and your family).