Summer Safety Tips For Parents With Teens
Practical Tips for Summer time fun with the family
The summertime is filled with so many fun activities, and families can easily become extremely busy. Between soccer games, family gatherings, to outdoor concerts and amusement park visits, summertime is when we can step back and relax. It's a time to enjoy life and spend time outdoors with our families and friends. However, for parents, it can be a time that can easily become stressful when you have children or teens in your home.
Consider taking the necessary steps to ensure you can enjoy the rest of your summer with ease, and make it a safe time spent with family and friends. As a parent, there are always things you can do to ensure safety is instilled within your homes environment.
Outdoor activities
Summer is one of the most desirable seasons simply because the weather allows for so many outdoor activities. During the cooler fall and winter months, sporting activities and events are often limited because of the seasonally cooler air which can make those who spend time outdoors become sick. Parents can expect their teens to want to participate in outdoor activities and sports. As expected, there are several things you can do to ensure they are able to participate in these activities, but they also keep themselves safeguarded at the same time.
If your teenager is participating in contact sports like football or baseball, make sure they are wearing protective gear at all times. It might seem like a silly reminder, but sometimes teenagers can have the rebellious mindset where rules do not apply to them. They can sometimes have the mindset that their bodies are invincible, and it's not "cool" to wear protective gear like helmets and padding.
Since your teen will probably participate in these types of activities outside of your home, ensure a coach or parent is nearby to supervise the situation. It probably seems excessive, but making sure an adult is nearby can make a huge difference and help to keep your teen safe.
Time away from the home
During the late middle school years, and throughout high school, many teens will begin to start hanging outside of the house during their free time. Most of the time, they will venture to friends houses or public facilities where your supervision may be extremely limited as a parent, or not exist at all. Instilling trust in your child while they are away from the home is key to being a great parent, but it's also important to ensure that you have set boundaries and guidelines they must follow. Without rules and instilled values, it can be difficult to gauge whether you can trust your teen to make the best decisions.
The number one thing many parents begin to worry about is a teenagers interaction with alcohol when they are around other teens. Parents can overcome this issue by monitoring the types of peers your teen associates themselves with. Can you learn more about their level of decision making based upon their friends? You want to ensure you can trust your teens to avoid interactions with alcohol if they happen to get caught up in an environment where this could potentially be present. If the situation does arise, you should leverage a certain level of trust where you feel confident that your teen would alert you if they need a ride home to avoid the situation.
Enjoying the summer months
What do you have planned for the rest of the summer? Family barbeques? Concert series? Or, is your teen hosting a birthday party? Whatever the occasion may be, it's important to always have fun and enjoy time with those whom you surround yourself with. Make sure you are remembering how to keep everyone safe this summer and instill these values in your children and teens for a safe, and successful summer!