Early adolescence is a time of enormous and often confusing changes for your child, which makes it a challenging time for both your youngster and you. Being tuned in to what it's like to be a teen can help you stay closer to your child and have more influence on the choices he or she makes-including decisions about using alcohol.

Physical Changes. Most 10- to 14-year-olds experience rapid increases in height and weight as well as the beginnings of sexual development. As a result, many kids feel more self-conscious about their bodies than they did when they were younger and begin to question whether they are "good enough"-tall enough, slender enough, strong enough, attractive enough-compared with others. A young teen who feels he or she doesn't measure up in some way is more likely to do things to try to please friends, including experimenting with alcohol. During this vulnerable time, it is particularly important to let your children know that in your eyes, they do measure up-and that you care about them deeply.

Thinking Skills. Most young teens are still very "now" oriented and are just beginning to understand that their actions-such as drinking-have consequences. They also tend to believe that bad things won't happen to them, which helps to explain why they often take risks. Therefore, it is very important for adults to invest time in helping kids understand how and why alcohol-related risks do apply to them.

Social and Emotional Changes. As children approach adolescence, friends and "fitting in" become extremely important. Young teens increasingly look to friends and the media for clues on how to behave and begin to question adults' values and rules. Given these normal developments, it is perhaps not surprising that parents often experience conflict with their kids as they go through early adolescence. During this sometimes stormy time, perhaps your toughest challenge is to try to respect your child's growing drive for independence while still providing support and appropriate limits.

Did You Know?
That according to a national survey, one in five eighth graders reports drinking alcohol within the past month?
That 17 percent of eighth graders say they have gotten drunk at least once in the past year?
That 71 percent of young teens say that alcohol is easy to get?