Summertime: Keep Your Kids Safe

By Amy Reif

After a long, long school year, summer vacation has finally arrived. For many families, this is a time to relax and renew, with less frenzied schedules and more time to spend together. For others, the rigor and frenzy of the school year is often replaced with camps and activities to keep kids active and safe while parents work. 

Both approaches have value and help to build assets – or strengths – in our children, which can lead to less risky behavior (such as experimentation with alcohol or drugs) as they grow older. 

Over the years, the Fairfax County Youth Survey has demonstrated that certain experiences help to build strength and resiliency in children. While some of these involve school experiences, others are experiences that occur in everyday life: participating in community service or extracurricular activities, having parents to help out, or a community adult to talk to.

Summer vacation presents another opportunity to build resiliency in our children, just by incorporating easy activities into everyday life. It’s a great time for children and/or families to participate in new activities (maybe a free summer reading program or craft activities at the library), help others (perhaps by sharing home grown vegetables with a food bank or helping at an animal shelter), hang out together (encouraging each family member to plan and participate in a family  outing) or engage in other fun experiences which can spark lifelong interests and passions. 

Most of all, take time to talk with your children. Research shows that parents are the most important influence on their children’s behavior. And even children as young as 10 are not too young to know of your expectations that they not use alcohol or drugs.

According to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a higher number of young people experiment with drugs, smoke their first cigarette and try alcohol in June and July than at any other time of the year. So taking the time to develop a summer action plan for your kids makes good sense. For more parent tips, check out these from the Drug Free Action Alliance. 

Have a good summer.

Amy Reif served as the health sector coordinator of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County but still volunteers her skills for UPC as a writer.