PARENT TO PARENT

One of the best ways to let your teen care is to connect with the parents and families of their friends. Connecting with other parents is a great way to create some accountability as our teens get older and have more independence. With our busy schedules, this may be easier said than done. Here are a few things we can do with little effort. You undoubtedly have more ideas. Please leave your comments below. Remember, it really does take a village.

• Sit with other parents when attending sporting events.


• When dropping off or picking up your child at a friend's house, go up to the door to meet the parents.


• Ask your child to introduce you to parents when you are at school events or other functions.


• Ask your child to introduce themselves, say hello and good bye every time they go to someone else's home. Parents need to know who is in their home.


• Call parents who have hosted your child and say thanks.


• Invite your child's friends parents and family over for a visit.


• Go to parent meetings hosted at Free State High School every month. Invite other parents as well. (See schedule on this blog.)


• Make sure your child knows you want their friends to say hello and good bye when they come over. Ask your child to let his/her friends know that you expect them to touch base when they come over.


• Exchange cell numbers, work numbers and email addresses of parents whose children are close to yours.


• Sign the Parent Pledge and join the Parent Directory on this blog site.

TAKE THE QUIZ- ARE THEY DATING OR JUST FRIENDS?

Here is a quiz about teen dating. Ask your child what 'dating' means to them. You may be surprised to see how different their definition is from yours!


http://parentingteens.about.com/library/sp/quiz/dating/blteen_dating_quiz.htm

KU STUDENT INPUT REQUESTED

On October 22, 2009, the following lettter was sent to all KU students asking about alcohol-related policies at KU. We applaud Emily C. Williams, Chairwoman, Graduate Student for The Committee to Combat Alcohol Abuse and Investigate Related Policy for making this discussion happen.

Fellow Jayhawks,

This semester a committee was formed by the Student Senate Student Rights Committee to look at alcohol abuse at KU and policies regarding alcohol that affect students. We are the only body looking at this issue that was formed by students and is made up entirely of students.

The committee created a short survey that will help us recommend whether any changes to existing alcohol-related policies should be made to ensure that the University of Kansas remains a safe place for all students. Please spend 10 minutes taking the following survey and giving us your input. Your participation is invaluable. This is the time to make your voice heard! If you have a suggestion, we want to hear it.

The information given in the survey is confidential and will be used only to gauge student awareness and to collect student opinions regarding current alcohol-related policies. No personal information will be released and no personally identifiable information is being collected.

Survey: http://studentvoice.com/ukan/rightssubctesurvey09.

If you have any questions or would like more information on the committee, please send an email to rightssubcomm@ku.edu or call the Student Senate office at 785-864-3710. If you have any difficulties with the survey link, call the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Success at 864-4060 for technical assistance.

Also, any student is welcome to join our conversation. The final meetings of the committee will be:

Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8:15pm in Alderson (Union) Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7:00pm in the International Room (Union) Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7:00pm in the Jayhawk Room (Union) Thursday, Nov. 12 at 8:00pm the Big 12 Room (Union)

Please join us!

Rock Chalk,
Emily Williams

Emily C. Williams
Chairwoman, Graduate Student
The Committee to Combat Alcohol Abuse and Investigate Related Policy rightssubcomm@ku.edu 785-864-3710

PARENT GROUP THURSDAY OCTOBER 22ND

Just a reminder for all Lawrence Parents. Here is a chance to meet other parents and get to know your child's friend's parents better. Join in our lively discussion this month about "TEENS and SEX".
You may find them shocking, but these are the facts about teenage sexual activity:

Ten percent of all 13-year-olds have had sexual intercourse.
50 percent of all teenagers have had sex by the time they enter the 10th grade.
One in every five teenage girls will become pregnant during high school.
Half of all teenagers don't believe oral sex is sex.
By the time they finish high school, two-thirds of all young adults will have become sexually active.

Join us Thursday, October 22 from 6-7 PM, in the Free State High School library classroom for the next Free State Parents Group. We will tackle the difficult topic of teen sex. Get the information and support you need, and use this information to become a force in your child's life and encourage him/her to make good choices!

Please RSVP so I know how many parents to expect.
schiefferus@yahoo.com
See you Thursday!
The New Tradition Coalition and our dedicated friend Dave Schieffer

Please join us! The New Tradition Coalition, in conjunction with the Kansas Elks State Drug Awareness Program, will be tailgating at the Free State vs. Lawrence High football game this Friday, October 23rd. Like the New Tradition Coalition, the Elks are dedicated to preventing the use of alcohol, tobacco and other illicit drugs by the youth in our community.
Look for our trailer at the Free State Football Stadium. We will be located in the designated tailgating area, just to the West of the school (the former band practice field) between Overland Drive and the baseball stadium. We will be encouraging people to join the many Lawrence families who have signed the SAFE HOME Pledge, like you did! Plus we will have lots of free materials, door-prizes and the fatal vision goggles for people to experience.

LAWRENCE PARENT MEETINGS

For All Lawrence Parents!

Our first Lawrence Parent meeting in September was quite interesting, and we clearly have excited parents motivated to learn more about the challenges parents face, and in turn learn strategies for dealing with these challenges. The meetings are loosely structured and mostly provide an avenue for parents to network and help one another navigate through the teen years with some sanity!

We have arranged a schedule of meetings for the school year with the Free State High School staff. Parents with students at all Junior Highs and High Schools are encouraged to attend. We will meet from 6-7PM, in the Library Classroom (inside the library) at Free State High School, on the following days:

Thursday, October 22
Wednesday, November 18
Wednesday, December 16
Wednesday, January 27
Thursday, February 25
Wednesday, March 17
Thursday, April 22

Our next meeting, on Thursday, October 22, will feature a discussion around teen sex: "Teens Define Sex in New Ways - What Parents Need To Know".

In November, we are attempting to plan a forum of guest speakers on the topic of underage drinking in Lawrence.

We hope you can make our next meeting. Please share this information with your network of friends. We want to spread the word about our Lawrence Parent group and get as many people involved as possible! If you cannot make these meetings please email thenewtraditioncoalition@gmail.com and we will help you get your own parent group together. It is proven that if parents are connected and involved, teens will benefit.

We would like to express our appreciation to Ed West and Lisa Boyd at Free State High School for their assistance and offer of a classroom for us to meet in. See you on October 22nd.

FREE STATE vs. LAWRENCE HIGH TAILGATE PARTY

The New Tradition Coalition, in conjunction with the Kansas Elks State Drug Awareness Program will be tailgating at the Free State vs. Lawrence High football game on October 23, 2009. Like the New Tradition Coalition, the Elks are dedicated to preventing the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other illicit drugs by the youth of our country. Look for our trailer at the Free State Football Stadium. Join the many Lawrence families who have signed the SAFE HOME Pledge. More details to come...