Asset #31, Restraint

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Asset Story Archive
11/02 Asset # 37, Personal Power

10/02 Asset #36, Peaceful Conflict Resolution

09/02 Asset #24, Bonding to School

08/02 Asset #7, Community Values Youth

07/02 Asset #38, Self-esteem

05/02 Asset #40, Positive View of Personal Future

04/02 Asset #31, Restraint

03/02 Asset #32, Planning and Decision Making

02/02 Asset #29, Honesty

Teach Youth to Guard Against Risky Behavior

With Spring Break just behind us, we have been barraged with scenes of intoxicated teens and young adults, and alarming reports of frequent binge drinking among our younger generation. Equally troubling is the report from Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse that points to parents as "unwitting co-conspirators who tend to see drinking and occasional bingeing as a rite of passage."

Parents need to be the front line of defense against risk-taking behaviors their children come up against. While many parents may feel uncomfortable talking with their children about sex, alcohol and illicit drug use, family discussions about the importance of using restraint help build a foundation for healthy development in young people.

Restraint is among the developmental assets, or building blocks of healthy youth development, identified by Search Institute that allow young people to thrive. Assets for Colorado Youth (ACY), an organization promoting a strength-based approach to youth development, encourages adults to discuss the importance of abstaining from sex, alcohol and other drugs with young people. Says María Guajardo Lucero of ACY, "By keeping young people informed and by being open to their questions, teens are more likely to use restraint in risk-taking situations."

The following tips can help adults teach young people to use restraint:

• Be clear about family boundaries and values, and why they are important
  
• Model how to use restraint ourselves
  
• Look for opportunities to discuss the consequences of risky behaviors
  
• Praise young people when you see them practicing restraint

Building assets in young people is a conscious process of modeling, supporting and encouraging positive behaviors. The assets, in turn, provide young people with the tools they need to control what happens to them and direct their lives toward a positive future.

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