What Parents Need to Know About Teen Risk Taking

This booklet is the second in the What Parents Need to Know about Teens series. Written in chatty, down-to-earth language, it addresses the challenges and risks that appear as children move into adolescence. This can be a scary time for teens as well as their parents. Teens will face pressures to use substances and engage in other risky behaviours. Parents will face difficult situations as they balance their teens' need for independence and autonomy while providing the guidance and monitoring teens need at this time. Topics include why adolescence is important, why teens experiment and take risks and when experimenting becomes a problem. The booklet suggests strategies for guiding teens and maintaining good relationships with them as they move through this stage of development.