If you have a teen athlete, you know that the demands placed on him or her are far different than that of a typical student. They are expected to keep up with their academic work, keep their grades in line, and maintain a minimum grade point average – all while serving as representatives of their schools, missing time in class and at home to practice, compete, and travel to other schools. If you have a teen athlete, you may or may not know that these teens often experience much more significant pressure to drink and party than other teens.
While schools in recent years have cracked down on this type of behavior, it is still far too prevalent. Teams want to celebrate their victories and drown their defeats, and often, alcohol is the method of choice. Your teen athlete, in being a part of a sports team, may face undue peer pressure to try alcohol or drugs. The question is, what can you do as a parent to minimize your teen s risk?
The first and best advice is always to talk to your teen athlete. Have an open and ongoing dialogue with your teen about peer pressure and drinking. Make it clear that your teen has a choice – make sure your teen understands that it is ok to say no.
To help your teen athlete make it easier to avoid high pressure situations with teammates, be involved. Go to your teen s games, be an active part of his or her athletic life. Parents are often needed to serve as line coaches or play other supportive roles; if that is a possibility for you as a parent, it is a good way to stay involved and be able to see first hand if bad peer pressure situations are developing.
Understand the policies of your teen s school. Make sure you discuss the ramifications with your teen about what could happen if he or she were to be caught. Most schools suspend players or dismiss them from the team altogether. If the sport is important to your teen, this will serve as motivation to help them make the right choice when the pressure is on.
One situation that is not often discussed but can be prevalent is the attitude of the coaches toward their players drinking. Some coaches look the other way; others glamorize or glorify drinking and partying. In rare instances, the coaches will actually supply the alcohol. If you run into a coach like that, contact the school and make them aware of the situation. Coaches have a very powerful and influential role in the lives of the teen athletes they work with; if they are abusing that position of power, they need to be stopped.
Ultimately, you should make participation on the team contingent to your teen athlete s behavior and choices. Grades should stay up, homework should be done, academics should be prioritized, and the right choices should be made. Make it clear that your teen s choices will dictate his or her outcomes…and then follow through when you need to.
Author Resource:
Norbert Georget is an accomplished professional speaker, teen motivator and author of the book, No-Nonsense Parenting For Today’s Teenager – How To Feel Like A Good Parent Even When Your Teenager Hates You. To learn more go to http://www.parentingtodaysteenager.com/
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