The Safe Home Movement
Frequently Asked Questions about the Safe Home Movement
Why do we need a SafeHomes Pledge?
Our young people are frequently faced with pressures to use alcohol and illegal drugs. Over glamorized advertising of alcohol and peer pressure combine to create an acceptable environment for substance use by youth. While most parents would agree that substance use is a risky behavior, many parents struggle with setting limits that will protect their child from this dangerous activity. SafeHomes is a tool to addressing this problem.
SafeHomes is a parent networking campaign based on the belief that to prevent a child from using drugs, you need to create an atmosphere where drug use is not acceptable. When parents join together and take a united stand against drug use, they become much more effective than if they act separately. Parents can benefit from the support of other parents.
What is required if I sign the SafeHomes Pledge?
Read the pledge with your children. Explain to your children your commitment to live up to the pledge. Then supervise teen social gatherings at your home and not allow the use of alcohol and other drugs. The SafeHomes pledge will be renewed on an annual basis.
If you choose, your name may be distinguished in the student directory as a SafeHome parent. If a parent sees that another parent has signed the Pledge, it provides an opening for discussion regarding the home environment and supervision of our children.
If I join SafeHomes, won't my child think I don't trust him/her?
Trust does not have to be "blind trust." Parents have every right to question where their children are going, and what they are doing. We need to realize that they are growing up in a world much different from the one in which we grew up.
Members of SafeHomes can be open about their activities with their children. They may tell their children that they are members of a group because they care and want to be informed about the world in which the child is living.
What if a family signs and then violates the Pledge?
The SafeHomes Pledge is a voluntary program and those who sign it are pledging on their personal honor to abide by it. SafeHomes contracts are not legally binding, but are statements of concern and intent. Parent Groups, schools, and those who sign the pledge are not able to guarantee or enforce compliance by others.
What about the teens who choose to drink anyway regardless of the SafeHomes Pledge?
We cannot stop all kids from drinking. That is not the goal of SafeHomes. We wish to do three things:
Middle School: Word Doc Adobe PDF
High School: Word Doc Adobe PDF
Contract for Life: Word Doc Adobe PDF
Our young people are frequently faced with pressures to use alcohol and illegal drugs. Over glamorized advertising of alcohol and peer pressure combine to create an acceptable environment for substance use by youth. While most parents would agree that substance use is a risky behavior, many parents struggle with setting limits that will protect their child from this dangerous activity. SafeHomes is a tool to addressing this problem.
SafeHomes is a parent networking campaign based on the belief that to prevent a child from using drugs, you need to create an atmosphere where drug use is not acceptable. When parents join together and take a united stand against drug use, they become much more effective than if they act separately. Parents can benefit from the support of other parents.
What is required if I sign the SafeHomes Pledge?
Read the pledge with your children. Explain to your children your commitment to live up to the pledge. Then supervise teen social gatherings at your home and not allow the use of alcohol and other drugs. The SafeHomes pledge will be renewed on an annual basis.
If you choose, your name may be distinguished in the student directory as a SafeHome parent. If a parent sees that another parent has signed the Pledge, it provides an opening for discussion regarding the home environment and supervision of our children.
If I join SafeHomes, won't my child think I don't trust him/her?
Trust does not have to be "blind trust." Parents have every right to question where their children are going, and what they are doing. We need to realize that they are growing up in a world much different from the one in which we grew up.
Members of SafeHomes can be open about their activities with their children. They may tell their children that they are members of a group because they care and want to be informed about the world in which the child is living.
What if a family signs and then violates the Pledge?
The SafeHomes Pledge is a voluntary program and those who sign it are pledging on their personal honor to abide by it. SafeHomes contracts are not legally binding, but are statements of concern and intent. Parent Groups, schools, and those who sign the pledge are not able to guarantee or enforce compliance by others.
What about the teens who choose to drink anyway regardless of the SafeHomes Pledge?
We cannot stop all kids from drinking. That is not the goal of SafeHomes. We wish to do three things:
- Provide a safe social environment for teens in OUR OWN HOMES.
- Send a clear, unambiguous message to our children and all teens that we care about them.
- Inform other parents that if their children come to our home, they will be supervised and alcohol and other drugs use will not be tolerated.
Middle School: Word Doc Adobe PDF
High School: Word Doc Adobe PDF
Contract for Life: Word Doc Adobe PDF