Parenting with Prevention in Mind

Michael BloomquistBy Michael Bloomquist, Ph.D.

Parents know adolescence can be stormy for their children and them. But parents may not know there is a lot you can do to keep children on track before and during adolescence. Current research confirms that parents definitely influence their kids' decisions. Parents can lessen their children's chances of slipping into drugs, violence, risky sexual behavior and other self-destructive activities. Instead of taking a passive, hope-things-turn-out approach, parents would be wise to be proactive about childrearing. The following are starting points for keeping kids safe and healthy:

• Establish and strengthen family bonds--Children who are nurtured and feel loved are more likely to have a strong family connection and are less likely to seek acceptance from negative peer groups. Family rituals strengthen this bond. Rituals could be holiday celebrations, singing together, or dedicating one night a week to pizza and a movie.
  
  
• Teach social problem-solving skills ¿ Provide opportunities, such as sports and social get-togethers, for your children to socialize outside the family. Sharing, negotiation, cooperation, standing up for oneself, saying no and learning to see things from another's perspective are basic to navigating the social scene.
  
  
• Monitor your children--Keeping track of where your children are and who they're with helps predict whether they will affiliate with a negative peer group. When children go out, insist on knowing the four W's: Who will they be with? What will they be doing? Where will they be? and When will they return?
  
  
• Encourage reading--Kids who can't read often turn to antisocial behavior. To encourage reading, read to your child, be a reading role model and tell them directly reading is important.
  
  
• Help your children build their store of skills and interests--Provide opportunities for kids to learn skills they can call on later for enjoyment. Learning a sport, developing a love of nature or learning an instrument provide life-enhancing ways to spend time and decrease the chance of kids participating in self-destructive behavior.
  
  
• Provide accurate, up-to-date information on important issues ¿ Studies show giving your child accurate information on the dangers of drugs (this includes alcohol) and risky sexual behavior lessens the chance your child will become involved in these activities.
  
  
• Don't assume grown kids know better--A full-grown adolescent may look like an adult, but their capacity to make good judgments is not fully developed. Parents and guardians need to stand together to communicate clear expectations and limits. Be specific: "I expect you home by 11 p.m." "I don't want you to drink alcohol."

To study the human ability to set goals, delay gratification and use judgment, White is using various techniques including MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain images of adolescents while they are involved in activities that call for different levels of judgment. This type of imaging, called the functional MRI, actually shows increased blood flow to the front portion of the brain (prefrontal lobe) when higher level judgment is being used. White's work, and that of other University brain researchers, sheds light on the adolescent brain and underscores that adolescents don't have the same ability to use judgment as their adult counterparts. Adolescents benefit from clear, firm and loving direction.

Note: Dr. Michael Bloomquist is director of the Attention and Behavior Problems Clinic in the University of Minnesota's Department of Psychiatry and recently authored a book entitled Skills Training for Children with Behavior Problems.

This column is an educational service of the University of Minnesota. Advice presented should not take the place of an examination by a health-care professional. For more health-related information, go to http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu .