TEMPTED TEENS, CLUELESS PARENTS

Those were shocking survey results on the front page of a recent
Tribune: 80 percent of parents believe that alcohol and marijuana
aren't usually available at teen parties. Yet 50 percent of their
kids say they attend parties where alcohol, drugs or both are
available. In the article, 15-year-old Samantha Tish of Roscoe, Ill.,
cut to the quick: "Most parents are clueless. They have no idea what
goes on at parties ... or how drugs and alcohol are everywhere."

And why is that? You can find scores of theories, but let's look at three:

- - It's not news that most teenagers want to fit in and feel accepted
by their peers. But many don't think they have opportunities to be
parts of groups or teams--no matter how many activities are available. How so?

High school has become a more competitive place than many of today's
parents experienced. It's fraught with opportunities to be excluded.
Example: The grade school jock who gets cut from football is supposed
to, what, suddenly morph into a skilled trumpeter so he can land a
coveted chair in the concert band? He tried, he lost out, and often
that's that. Should anyone truly be surprised if, not so long after
his athletic successes in junior high, he's smoking some weed with a
new group of friends? His disappointment, after all, came at
precisely the age when he suddenly had greatly increased access to
illicit substances, from beer to Ecstasy.

- - According to the survey cited--it comes from the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University--12 percent of
parents see illegal substances as their teenagers' greatest concern.
Yet 27 percent of teens say drugs are a major worry. How is it that
teenagers are more concerned about drug use than their parents?

Maybe because parents are choosing the bliss of ignorance.
Ninety-eight percent of parents say they are present when their
teenager throws a party. So why do a third of teens say parents are
rarely around--and half of teens attend parties laced with drugs and
alcohol? If every parent just did his or her part in monitoring
gatherings at home, that 50-percent figure would plummet.

- - A few schools do a superb job of recruiting no-nonsense physicians
and lawyers to address students and their parents about the medical
and legal risks that drug and alcohol parties invite: neural
impairment today, liability lawsuits tomorrow, criminal records
forever. The list goes on. Other schools rely on uninspiring morality
talks, or unimaginative health classes taught by the gym teacher.
Think we exaggerate? Ask your teen. Here's a third way: Schools could
recruit young, successful professionals--of almost any field--whom
kids might aspire to emulate. Right now, many kids see drinking,
smoking and partying as what "cool" people do. The world of young,
responsible adults is more complex.

This editorial started out talking about parents, and winds up
talking about schools. As if one or the other alone could educate
young people about risks and consequences. Even when parents and
schools work together, the job is only half done. Ultimately the only
person who can make the decision not to drink or abuse drugs is the teenager.