Surviving Spring Break
If you have children in high school or college, you know
all about the importance kids place on Spring Break. This
rite of passage, practiced by teens for decades, is for
many parents the first time they allow their kids to travel
without them.
Almost a declaration of independence, this one- to two-week
period in the months of March and April is a time when most
young people feel free to do anything and everything they
can't – or won't – do at home under your watchful eyes.
It's no secret that many Spring Break vacations involve
promiscuous sex, excessive drinking, drugs, and in some
cases, violence. In fact, that is why many teens want to go
on Spring Break. The promise of wild abandon and a nonstop
party is too hard to say no to.
If you feel uncomfortable allowing your teen to attend
Spring Break, you are not alone. Each year, more and more
teens are injured, raped, and hospitalized for alcohol
poisoning. Young girls are given date rape drugs, and some
even go missing. It's not much of a vacation when you end
up in the hospital, a police station, or come home with a
sexually transmitted disease instead of a suntan.
The sad truth is that many tour companies who specialize in
Spring Break packages care little about the safety of your
kids. Some companies even market "all you can drink"
packages, turning a blind eye to underage drinking, safety
concerns, and drug use.
If you would like to allow your teen to attend Spring break
this year, do your homework. Popular destinations are more
apt to be rampant with illegal activity and temptations
your teen will find hard to avoid. Do some research about
locations that are less likely to have thousands of kids
for the break. Your teen may prefer a party town, but when
faced with the alternative of not going at all, will
probably be happy to just get away and have an adventure
without you.
Consider getting together with the parents of your teen's
closest pals and organizing an adventure break for them –
whale watching in Australia or swimming with the dolphins
in Florida, for example. Or, think way outside of the
typical Spring Break box and send your kids on an
educational week, where they can study something of great
interest to them.
Another popular alternative to the conventional Spring
Break experience is volunteer breaks. There are a number of
organizations, some religious based and some not, that
offer special volunteer Spring Break experiences for teens.
The prospect of volunteering may or may not appeal to your
child, but they may perk up when they hear they will be
hanging with dozens of other kids their age, and will be
far away from you!
Even MTV, known for "inspiring" some of the debauchery of
the modern-day Spring Break, has its own alternative
volunteer vacation every year. In 2006, MTV partnered with
the United Way to send teens to the Gulf Coast to help
victims of Hurricane Katrina. See www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/asb
for more information about MTV's Alternative Spring Break
programs.
Even if your kids are reliable and responsible in their
"real life", the mere proximity to drinking, drugs, sex,
and violence is enough to turn them into Mr. Hyde for the
week. Your best bet is to scout out alternative locations
or experiences for your teen, and give them a choice of two
or three. Even if they are determined not to, they will
still have fun. More importantly, they will be safe – and
you will be able to sleep at night.
