'Tweeners,' Pot and Later Drinking and Driving
Parents need to talk about alcohol and drugs with their kids early and often, experts say
Kids who start drinking early are more likely to drive drunk later in life and get into a car with a driver who has been drinking, Penick said.
Penick said parents have an essential role in fighting peer pressure. Parents need to start talking specifically about alcohol and drugs like marijuana when their children are young and continue the discussion throughout their teens, she said.
In addition, parents need to have children understand that just because they haven't been caught yet doesn't mean they won't be caught, Penick said.
Parents need to help their children stand up to peer pressure. Changing perceptions about alcohol and drugs is also important, she said.
So when kids say, "Everyone is doing it," parents need to tell them, "No, everyone isn't drinking or smoking marijuana," Penick said.
Sheehey-Church, who lost her own teen son in a car driven by a drunk driver, said, "I can't say enough about how important it is that kids have their beliefs about alcohol and marijuana changed and how they need to protect themselves and their friends."