by Milo Berry

GUEST COLUMNIST

You've probably seen the clever, humorous ads in the newspaper and on television that are part of Utah's Parents Empowered Initiative. The messages encourage keeping a "close eye" on our children, as to underage alcohol use and letting children know what, as parents, we expect from them concerning the use of drugs. In addition, the ads suggest parents should explain how drugs can interfere with a healthy teen lifestyle and a successful adult future. Yes, parents who use these principles are definitely empowered. Those who get behind this campaign and utilize the research in their homes are keenly aware of best family practices and proactive parenting.

This state prevention initiative has a direct connection to an established Tooele program. The idea of parents being able to deliver the most effective anti-drug message to children began with Guiding Good Choices® parent workshops years and years ago, then called Preparing for the Drug Free Years. That said, and since school-surveyed, Tooele youth report much higher levels of drug use than the state averages; Guiding Good Choices® [GGC] was adopted by the Tooele City Communities That Care® Board in 2003.

GGC is a community resource that offers great ideas and strategies for parents of all families with children 9 to 15 years of age. This age range is a unique period when many youth report regular alcohol use, especially starting in the seventh or eighth grades. These workshops are able to "hit the alcohol nail right on the head." GGC sessions take a strong proactive approach and are noted for success and positive outcomes. They are successful because they provide both youth and parents with powerful skill sets that can prepare teens to resist alcohol, tobacco and other drugs at a period in life when there is enormous pressure to experiment. In turn, parents learn how to communicate with and support their children in this effort to resist unhealthy offers. Simply put, this parenting system is as good as it gets for the average family trying to keep their kids on the right path.

Although state underage drinking ads have brought about broad awareness of getting parents more involved in their children's lives, they stop short of letting parents know exactly how to pull a detailed family policy like this together. Guiding Good Choices® offers that next step and more. It not only addresses the potential for substance abuse, but blasts eight other risk factors for youth and five other teen problem behaviors such as school drop-out, delinquency, violence, teen pregnancy and depression/anxiety.

Not many of the 300 Tooele families who have learned the Guiding Good Choices® principles so far would say they wasted their time. Most, however, like Jesse and Vickie Garcia, would admit they weren't sure if they should sign up but were glad they did.

The Garcias stated, "Although we had family rules in place, the GGC workshops taught us that rules need to be continually reinforced and adjusted. It is also very important for kids to know where their parents stand on all issues concerning, curfews, drugs, dating, etc. We found that you can't assume your children know these things when, in reality, they may not."

Also in support, Tooele City Mayor Patrick Dunlavy said, "Youth are our greatest resource and you can never know too much when it comes to helping our kids. GGC is a positive addition to our city programs. We're happy to have such an asset for residents."

To discover more or ask questions about participation in GGC, please contact Marty Wallace at Tooele Communities That Care®. She is located at Tooele City Hall and can be reached at 843-2185 or martyw@tooelecity.org.