15+   — Make Time to Listen; Take Time to Talk
January (7-12)

Make Time to Listen…Take Time to Talk about Goal Setting

Now is a good time for talking with your teens about the goals they want to set for their life. Since teens usually live in the "here and now", "start by talking about the big picture - their lifetime goals. What kind of person do they want to be, what kind of job do they want to get, do they want to be successful, healthy, happy, and have a family? Help them see that there is life beyond high school, and direct their thinking to looking at what they want to accomplish personally and professionally. Break their goals down into short and long term goals. Long term goals can then be broken up into smaller goals, which can represent one's day to day goals or stepping stones on the path to life-long goal achievement or success. Then relate these goals to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. Will the use of these drugs prevent me from reaching my goals or how will they hamper my success in achieving what I want to accomplish in life? If teens can verbalize goals and expectations that they have established for themselves, they are more likely to behave in a way which will help them accomplish this.