Sarah Turned 19!

My daughter Sarah turned 19 last week.

Turning 19 is a big deal in Ontario, Canada for most teens. Nineteen is the legal drinking age.

I understand that a lot of teens do not wait until they are 19 to drink alcohol. I work in a high school and...I actually remember what it was like to be a teen.

Mark and I learned of an interesting parenting technique several years ago. Long before our children reached high school. We learned it from our Pastor and his wife. And they in turn learned it from another set of parents, who had successfully applied this strategy to their own children (who are now grown and married.)

The plan....bless your child with a substantial amount of money for not giving-in to the peer pressure of under-age drinking. Sound silly??

The idea is that, if your child is having to deal with any pressure from 'friends' to drink, they can turn them down more easily. The cost would be just too great.

Our plan with our children is to give them $1000 on their 19th birthday. $500 for not drinking before 19 and another $500 for not smoking.

It makes it much easier for them to fight against any peer pressure. If someone is offering them a drink they can say 'No, it would cost me too much money.'

Sarah actually told us a while before her birthday that she didn't want the money. She hadn't found that 'not drinking' and 'not smoking' had been a challenge. However, we felt it important to honor our original commitment. Our children need to know that their parents have integrity.

So, Sarah received a $1000 cheque for her 19th birthday. Even though, she didn't find avoiding peer-pressure to be difficult, we are still very proud of her for her choices.

Happy Birthday Sarah!