News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Parents of teens in Sisters are less likely than ever to look the other way when it comes to children drinking alcohol or using other drugs.
The local substance abuse prevention group TAPS (Think Again ParentS) is trying to reinforce that trend with a new program called Party Safe Homes of Sisters.
Party Safe Homes of Sisters is a pledge-based program where parents sign a card pledging that they will not allow drugs, alcohol or tobacco to be used in their home; that they will supervise any youth gatherings at their home; and that they will establish expectations with their children of knowing where they are and who they are with.
Pledge cards are filled out and returned to TAPS, and parents can then find out what homes are "party safe."
"As much as anything I see this as building a network of parents, a communication network," said TAPS spokesman Al Boyette. "Parents will know where their children can go and not be exposed to alcohol and other drugs."
That benefit is not just for parents, Boyette noted. The program can help alleviate negative peer pressure.
"Most kids don't drink," Boyette said. "But they are under an awful lot of pressure to do so from other kids. This way, young people know where they can go and not be submitted to that kind of pressure."
According to Boyette the program makes it much easier and more comfortable for parents to communicate about teens' activities.
"Sometimes you want to call another parent and you're not sure if you should, if it would be welcome," he said.
With people signed up as Party Safe Homes, that discomfort is removed; parents can communicate freely.
The program also reinforces a no-use message for teens and sets clear expectations.
Boyette is emphatic that TAPS is not a "bunch of prohibitionists."
"That's not true at all," he said. "This is about keeping kids from harming themselves with alcohol before they're 21."
TAPS isn't just making a legal or moral argument. Boyette cites a body of scientific opinion that indicates that teens who use alcohol are more susceptible to its effects. Studies show that an early start as a drinker greatly increases the odds that a person will develop a problem with alcohol down the road.
That's aside from the dangers of drinking and driving and the potential for teen pregnancy resulting from alcohol-fueled sexual activity.
Boyette also took on the most common argument parents make for allowing teens to drink at home: They're going to drink anyway; it's better to have them in a "secure" environment.
"That's making an assumption that the parent can control the drinking that way," Boyette said.
That is not the way things play out.
"By sanctioning the drinking that way, studies show that kids are twice as likely to drink outside the home," Boyette said. "So the effect is .... directly opposed to what you're trying to achieve."
Some parents fear that they have lost their influence over their children's behavior. Boyette said that that is an understandable reaction to teen attitudes, but it's not really accurate.
"Parents have much more influence than they realize," he said.
TAPS hopes that this program, which has been successful elsewhere, will add another tool to the parental toolkit and expand that influence.
For more information about the Party Safe Homes of Sisters initiative, contact TAPS c/o SOAR at 549-2091.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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