MO POP Middle School Handbook

Here are some strong ways to start a dialogue around alcohol: ࡟ I heard on the news that one out of four 8th graders have tried alcohol. I was wondering… ࡟ If you were to guess, how many kids your age do you think have had a drink with alcohol in it? ࡟ How do you think it has helped them? Hurt them? ࡟ What are the reasons those kids might have had for drinking? ࡟ What are some of the things they could have done instead? ࡟ Why do you think they did that? ࡟ Why do you think they did not drink? Negative reactions from a parent can shut down communication and make it difficult to help a child solve problems and deal with difficult situations. Negative parental reactions include: ࡟ Letting off steam in an angry outburst ࡟ Giving the silent treatment and then saying “things are fine” ࡟ Bringing up the child’s past failures ࡟ Recruiting other people to support your side of the argument ࡟ Comparing kids and asking, “Why can’t you be more like your brother/sister?”

You can also personalize the questions: ࡟ If you were in their situation, how might you act? ࡟ How do you think it would affect you? ࡟ What are some of the things you could have done instead? ࡟ Why is that?

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