Kids and accidents
A parent’s task of supervising is different with adolescents than with younger children. It is as much about effective communication and modeling how to assess risk and make judgments as it is about time spent watching the children. But these tasks take time and patience, perhaps even more than the supervision of younger kids. And while a teenager may have good judgment, who her friends are matters as much as her own judgment. Teenagers take more chances when they are with friends, and particularly with thrill-seeking friends. If parents are too distracted or busy to know who their teenager is spending time with, that itself raises the teenager’s chances of risky behaviors and accidental injury.
Of course, when teenagers are experimenting with alcohol or drugs, the risk of serious accidents increases significantly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately half of the nonmedical deaths of 15- to 24-year-olds involve drug or alcohol use. Stressed parents are less likely to be spending time with their teenagers to ask about drugs and alcohol: Who is using them? When and where? What else are they hearing about drugs and alcohol? It also takes time and a calm, clear, and open presence to talk with teenagers about expectations and ground rules around drug or alcohol experimentation (which has been shown to diminish the rate of regular use of drugs or alcohol in teens by as much as half). It takes time for parents to explain to their teenager that they should ALWAYS call home if they are anywhere they do not feel safe, even if it involves drugs or alcohol. It is complex to set rules and expectations while also being clear that their safety always comes first. You can encourage parents to know their teen’s friends, and to have a conversation about the rules around drug and alcohol use and to set a safety plan. Parents who are too stressed to even know where to start will benefit from a longer conversation, and can be referred to some good websites or for a mental health consultation.
Summer should be a time of skill building, adventure, growing independence, and some rest and relaxation. Helping parents to pay attention to their own stress level and access needed supports may be the critical factor in preventing accidents and promoting the health and well being of their children during this wonderful, but risky season.
Dr. Swick is an attending psychiatrist in the division of child psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and director of the Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT) Program at the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton (Mass.) Wellesley Hospital. Dr. Jellinek is professor of psychiatry and of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Boston.
