What Every Parent Should Know

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By Molly King

Fall is a time when families are trying to find their footing in terms of establishing routines and expectations. The transition from relaxed summer schedules to the new school year typically requires resets and reminders. Whether you’re setting bedtimes or screen times, you are likely to face a barrage of questions and pushback from your children that often occur as a response to close parental supervision.

Recently, leaders from Greenwich Together, a local prevention council consisting of more than 30 community groups, local public and private schools, and youth advocates, reported the results of the Greenwich Together Youth Survey at a virtual meeting open to all parents. This was the second time they have shared survey results on youth behaviors and there were some significant takeaways intended specifically for parents and the schools that partner with them. Highlights from the data are worth repeating:

* Across all grades, most youth did not use alcohol or any substances.

* Among those who did use substances, alcohol was the substance most frequently used and older students were more likely to drink than younger students.

*Students who were abusing substances were typically doing so in their own homes or the homes of other people.

*When researchers compared drinkers with non-drinkers across all grades, the predictors of alcohol use in general and alcohol use within the past 30 days were correlated with parental supervision and expectations.

Other data showed that there was a discrepancy between parent and youth perceptions of clear family rules discouraging alcohol use:

* Parents overestimated the clarity of their family rules around alcohol.

* A quarter of high school parents surveyed said they felt pressure to teach their child to drink so they will be prepared for college.

* Parents of youth in 11th and 12th grades (when alcohol use spikes, in relative terms) who were most committed to having clear rules regarding drinking and who monitored their children’s whereabouts had children who were much less likely to drink.

These results are clear and compelling. Parents can and should feel confident that when they engage in discussions with their children and clearly communicate their behavioral expectations, it has a positive impact.

Bobby Walker, Jr., GA’s assistant head for student and community life, is one of GA’s representatives for Greenwich Together. Encouraged by the survey results, he said: “The committee was pleased to see in the survey that the data disproves the popular theory that everyone drinks or uses drugs. There are more children not consuming alcohol or taking drugs than doing so. With this knowledge in hand, parents should feel empowered to continue encouraging their children to abstain from using substances without thinking that their child will miss out on social activities.”

Also representing GA on the committee is Dr. Lauren Winston, chair of Greenwich Academy’s Health and Wellness Department. Armed with great information and a shared purpose, Lauren is keenly aware of the opportunity we have at this particular moment in time. She said, “We all came to the same conclusion that parent involvement is the key to preventing substance use. The messages parents send their children about alcohol are critically important and have a tremendous impact on their children’s behavior. Frequent, consistent, and unequivocal rules from parents forbidding alcohol really work! Youth need to hear a strong message from parents repeatedly throughout their entire time in middle and high school.”

I want to commend Greenwich Chief of Police Jim Heavey and then executive director of the Department of Human Services Alan Barry for establishing the Greenwich Prevention Council back in 2018. The council evolved to become Greenwich Together, uniting leaders from all of our town’s public and private schools as well as key community advocates for health and safety. The Greenwich Together Committee and survey represent the first time that all school leaders have teamed up on a survey and a critically important message of partnership.

The bulk of the school year is ahead of us and we have a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the ties between school, home, and the shared values of the broader community. I often speak of the vital partnership that exists between GA and our parent body, for which I am deeply grateful. Let’s all work together to keep our kids safe and to help them feel the confidence and sense of promise that we see in them. Onward!

 

Molly King is the head of school at Greenwich Academy; she holds a BA from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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