Safety 101: Teens and Twenty Somethings Drinking to Excess

The typical activity among teens and twenty somethings on days like Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day is DRINKING.  I place drinking in all caps because on these days it seems as if many of our childrens common sense goes out the door and they party to excess to celebrate.  Many children have fallen victim to a death directly related to drinking.  It doesn't really matter whether the death is due to drunk driving or alcohol poisoning.  Dead is dead.  Make sure that your children know your feelings about drinking, and the dangers associated with drinking.  In addition, signing a contract with them where you agree to no consequence if they call you to pick them up when they or the person they are riding with have had too much to drink.  Not all parents are comfortable with letting their children off the hook for drinking, but consider this contract may just save their life.

Gummi Bears and Vodka...What Will They Think Of Next?

Be aware of the new crazy that our tweens and teens are engaging in... Vodka soaked Gummi Bears. If you think I am giving away the secret about how to make these liquer filled candy to your children, think again. It is all over YouTube. My reason for posting the instructions here are so that you are aware of how they are doing it. An educated parent is an armed parent and if you are anything like me you don't spend a great deal of time on YouTube. It's so simple, all they do is dump the gummies in a pan, pour the vodka over the bears, and let it sit. After some time, the bears absorb the alcohol, turning them into an alcohol-soaked candy your child could be chewing on, even while sitting right next to you. The real problem is that they smell like gummy bears. With an entire bottle of vodka poured into a pan of gummies, there's no way for a child to know just how much alcohol they've ingested. Add to that the fact that those little bears are quite addictive themselves. I never eat just a couple, do you?

Who would have thought that schools and parents may have to keep their children away from those seemingly harmless gummy candies, not me.