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Community Corner

Protecting Your Children

Most consider it one of the worst and it's killed several teens lately, so how do you keep your children out of alcohol-related crashes?

Moms Talk is a new feature on Cartersville Patch that is part of an effort to reach out to moms and families.

Cartersville Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Cartersville.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Find out what's happening in Cartersvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about the Tucson shootings? How can we help our children's schools weather their budget cutbacks?

Find out what's happening in Cartersvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question from our Moms Council.

How do you protect your children from drunk drivers? 

As a parent we all want to protect out children from the dangers of the world. One that is especially heartbreaking because it is not a natural disaster or uncontrollable event, something that is in the control of whomever chooses to get behind the wheel drunk. The biggest thing we can do as parents to protect our children from drunk drivers is to educate them. Make sure younger children are properly buckled. Explain to them that although Mom or Dad may be a terrific driver, other people may not be.

If you are talking to a teen, reassure them not to let friends drive drunk. Talk to them often, explaining the aftermath of drunk driving. Most importantly, set an example. Don’t let your friends drive drunk. Don’t drive drunk yourself. Let them know there is always a way home if they choose to drink. Plea with them to please, please, please do not drive or get in the car with someone if they have been drinking. To protect our children all we can do is educate and reinforce. The rest is up to them. Sometimes life lessons are hard to teach and hard to learn.

Protecting your child from drunk drivers involves both proactive and defensive measures. Keeping your child off the road during late night hours when drunks are more likely to be driving is a good start. If your child is of driving age, educate him or her about defensive driving. Remind your child to stay alert, avoid distractions (like texting!) and keep space between his or her car and the others on the road.  Finally, let your child know that he or she can call you anytime for a safe ride home, no questions asked.

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