Parenting Pointers: MADD

Yesterday I shared car-safety related resources regarding car seat safety. Today I'll share some resources for older kids - those who are driving.

MADD - Mothers Against Drunk Driving - is an organization that has been around for quite some time. They now have a specific website, The Power of Parents, devoted to providing parents with specific resources to help combat drunk driving. Right now, the only part of the site finished is the portion for parents of high school students, but they will soon have sections dedicated to parents of elementary, middle school, and college students. I think that will be great when it's all set up. My parents started talking to us about issues like drinking, drugs, and sex when we were little (obviously with age-appropriate content), as well as just always making sure to keep lines of communication open. By the time we were in high school, we all knew that drinking and driving was stupid. By providing parents with tools for communication and education early on, it will hopefully help them keep an open dialogue when their kids get to high school.

The site is sponsored by VW, Nationwide, and PTA. Resources currently available include links to victim services, the MADD website, ways to take action, parent testimonials, and more. It includes ways to answer tough questions kids may ask, and how to help keep your teen - and your community - safe.

I'd like to pass along these seven helpful tips from MADD:
- Communicate before a problem starts.
- Discuss rules and consequences.
- Show you care.
- Pay attention.
- Share family activities.
- Give and get respect.
- Enforce consequences consistently.

Other web-based links from MADD: MADD blog, MADD on Twitter, Power of Parents on Facebook, MADD Safety Quiz, and Support 21 Survey (to support 21 as the legal drinking age).

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of MADD. A donation was made to MADD in my name to thank me for taking the time to participate.