None of my children are of driving age…YET. I don’t need to worry about handing the car keys to a teen who may or may not be heading to a party where alcohol may or may not be served. I hope that my constant talk about no drinking alcohol and certainly no driving while drinking alcohol will be remembered and adhered to once my teen starts driving.
The key word is HOPE. When my children were little I knew everything about their lives from the smallest detail of “[name of bestest friend] took my toy at preschool” to “I love [name of favorite toy].” Once my children were in late elementary school it became natural for them to withhold information from me. One child did not tell me about a bullying situation that started in March of 5th until the end of the school year. Another child fretted about a bus issue but wanted to handle it herself. As their mom, I gave them leeway and room to sort out their issues.
I worry about the teen years. I fret about keeping the lines of communication open with an “I can handle it” teen. Will I know when to step in and say “No, you are not going to that party because I suspect there may be alcohol.” As with everything else, I will continue talking AND listening to my teen. It is all I can do.
It’s holiday party season – time to celebrate all of the exciting winter holidays with our friends and loved ones. Our mailboxes are flooded with invitations to parties and dinners and other holiday get-togethers. With these parties come food, fellowship, gifts, and in many cases, festive alcoholic drinks.
In 2008, nearly 12,000 people in the U.S. were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes – and during the periods around Christmas and New Year’s, this number was particularly high, with 316 people killed in alchol-impaired driving crashes. In 2007, 162,493 women were arrested for a DUI, an increase of almost 29% since 1998. You can’t help but wonder if lives could have been saved if people thought twice before getting behind the wheel. With the holidays approaching, it’s important that drivers be reminded about the dangers of buzzed driving. Who knows…it could save a life.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and the Ad Council are asking everyone to drive smart this holiday season and to pledge not to drive buzzed. Help spread this message during the holiday season by posting about the dangers of buzzed driving, sharing a story or experience you might have had with buzzed driving and encouraging readers to follow Buzzed Driving on Twitter (@buzzeddriving) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/buzzeddrivingisdrunkdriving) to get the latest updates and news. You can also visit the Buzzed Driving website (https://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org/) where readers can sign a pledge to not drive buzzed, play an interactive game which demonstrates the difference between buzzed and drunk, and hear personal stories from people who have driven buzzed.
While at holiday events, it’s easy to lose track of a drink here or there – but this can be fatal. This holiday season, keep you and your family safe by spreading this message.
Have a safe and happy holiday and remember that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.
How you can help on Facebook:
Become a fan of the Buzzed Driving campaign on Facebook and ask your followers to do the same https://www.facebook.com/buzzeddrivingisdrunkdriving
How you can help on Twitter:
Follow @buzzeddriving, share information with your readers/followers about this Tuesday?s information discussion on Twitter ? https://resourcefulmommy.blogspot.com/2009/12/buzzed-driving-is-drunk-driving-twitter.html
Take the pledge to not drive buzzed here: https://buzzeddriving.adcouncil.org
I did not receive any compensation for this post. I am posting it as a PSA as part of my ongoing relationship with Global Influence.
