Family Talk About Drinking Part 3

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Anheuser-Busch’s Family Talk About Drinking program. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation

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Be sure to read Part One and Part Two of this series too!

Now that you’ve read part one and part two, what do you think? Were there ideas there that you can use to help you talk to your child about drinking alcohol? Have you already talked to your kids about drinking? I’d love to know if you have talked to them about it. I’d also love to know how your child reacted when you had this conversation. My kids usually say “I know mom!! You’ve talked to me a thousand times about this, I’m not going to drink! Sheesh!” But I’d rather them be annoyed by me than to never know where I stood about the subject.

I love the Family Talk Facebook Page because it has the link to the Parent Guide. There you can find detailed information about how to talk to your kids about drinking. Now that I’ve had the conversations with my kids, I’m loving the follow up questions they suggest to ask your kids.

“Even after having deeper and more meaningful conversations about alcohol, we have to remember that kids have a lot on their minds. To make sure our advice and expectations are clear, we should get in the habit of asking good follow-up questions. For younger kids, this can be something as simple as, “How old do we have to be to drink?” For teenagers and young adults, it may be, “Now, tell me again what you’ll do if your ride home has been drinking.” These types of follow-up questions are important for several reasons:

• They help create accountability.
• They show you have a genuine concern for the end result.
• They create new opportunities for communication.
• They are another way to check in and stay connected with our kids – especially teens.”

I’m trying to raise my children to me compassionate and accepting of those around them. I’m trying to stop the stigma. I’m trying to be an example of compassion and acceptance for them to follow. I’m teaching them to choose friends who are also accepting and compassionate, but also will not pressure them into doing things they don’t want to do. I hope that through these conversations and my example, my kids will choose the right. Be sure to talk to your kids. They crave structure, even though they may complain. They want a parent that cares about them. Deep down they know you care when you bring up conversations like this. Don’t ever give up.

Annette