MADD Power of Parents - PowerTalk 21 Handbook

I'm a parent of four kids - three teenagers and a tween. Now, more than ever, it's imperative to feel like we have an open line of communication with one another. I want them to feel safe and comfortable coming to me about any subject. And, I'm always looking for ways to engage them in honest dialog about important issues.

One such issue is underage drinking. The statistics are alarming. Teen alcohol use kills nearly 6000 people per year; more than all other illegal drugs combined. And, car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens, with more than one out of three of those being alcohol-related crashes. This is just simply an issue that we, as parents, must discuss with our children.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is an organization that offers programs and activities to help prevent teenage drinking. If you are looking for ways to get started talking with your kids about this topic, their Power of Parents program, sponsored by Nationwide Insurance, is an excellent resource. To help you get started, they have designated April 21st as PowerTalk 21 Day - a day for parents, kids, and communities to take positive steps to open communications and work together to end underage drinking. MADD has made available a research-based handbook for talking with teens about alcohol. It's free to download and I encourage you to check it out. Let's do all we can to ensure our teens know the dangers of underage drinking and have the skills and knowledge to say no!

In exchange for helping to spread the word about MADD's Power of Parents handbook, I was entered in a drawing to win a VISA gift card. Statistics in this post were provided by MomSelect. Opinions expressed are my own.