By Tim Jahn
Raising a pre-teen today can be pretty nerve-wracking. Whenever a young person brings a gun to school or is lured into a dangerous rendezvous by an online predator, the headlines shock the general public and terrify parents of pre-teens and teens. Every week brings some news that distresses parents – youth gangs, designer drugs, teen runaways, school violence and Internet threats.
Parents of pre-teens have plenty of other worries. How is my son adjusting to middle school? Will my daughter resist peer pressure to smoke or be sexually active? How do I handle body piercing and tattoos? Add in all the normal stuff of growing up – puberty, friends, grades and moodiness – and it’s no wonder some parents wish for the good old days of the terrible two’s.
While teen sex and violence grab most of the headlines, the real risks to most pre-teens don’t show up on parental radar screens. In fact, parents and teachers can become so preoccupied with drugs, gangs and guns, they fail to notice the everyday hazards in the lives of pre-teens. What should parents of pre-teens really worry about? Here are some of the biggest risks according to research studies.
- Most pre-teens are injured or die as the result of preventable accidents. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for children ages 10-14, mostly from accidents involving motor vehicles. Less than 20% of pre-teens and 1% of teens wear safety helmets when bicycling, skateboarding or roller-blading. Teach your pre-teen to wear safety helmets, use seat belts and be an alert pedestrian in traffic.
- Being home without adult supervision for three or more hours regularly is a major risk factor. Most early experimentation with smoking, alcohol and drug use, and sex happens in the hours right after school. Make arrangements for some level of adult supervision for your pre-teen after school.
- Teenage depression is a serious problem that afflicts as many as 20% of young people and is often unrecognized because of the mood swings and moodiness that are typical of adolescence. But if you notice prolonged periods of sadness and withdrawal, get help as soon as possible.
Tim Jahn is a Human Ecology Specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. He can be reached at 631-727-7850 x. 331 or at tcj2@cornell.edu