Prom night is a time to celebrate and make memories. Unfortunately, it can be a dangerous time for teens who engage in risky behaviors. If you are the parent of a high school student, you can take steps to help keep your child safe during the festivities:
Arrange Transportation
Car accidents are among the most serious dangers of prom night. Make sure your teenager has transportation to and from the prom with a sober, adult driver. You do not want your teen to end up riding with friends who have been drinking or otherwise showing poor judgment.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. Young drivers are more likely than any other age group to be involved n a fatal accident. And the presence of other teens in a vehicle raises the crash risk for an unsupervised teen driver.
Consider helping your teen chip in with other friends to rent a limo or a party bus. Or drive your teen yourself.
Set a Curfew
The prom may be an exhilarating night for teenagers, but that doesn’t mean that anything goes. Establish a curfew that works for both of you. You want your teen to have enough time to enjoy the evening without being out all night long.
Know Your Child’s Date and Plans
If you have not met your teen’s date, you may want to take the extra step of doing so. Also, ask your teen where he or she will be throughout the evening. Prom night often includes dinner before the dance and parties afterward.
Get Contact Information
Before snapping photos and sending your teen off to the prom, make sure you know how to reach him or her in case of an emergency. Get the phone numbers of your teen’s date and other friends who might be together that evening.
Remind your teen to have a cellphone charged and close at hand throughout the evening.
Remind Your Teen About Safe Behavior
You may think your teen is the best-behaved child in the neighborhood. But peer pressure and the overwhelming thrills involved in prom night can bring out questionable behavior.
Remind your teenager that actions have consequences. Drinking or taking drugs may cause legal problems and possibly derail college plans. Even though many teens have been accepted to college by the time prom takes place, a college has the right to reverse its decision.
Even activities that aren’t illegal can be damaging. In today’s social media-obsessed world, nothing is private anymore. Images captured on cellphone cameras may end up online and haunt your teen’s future.
Sources:
Categories
Archive
