Raising kids is never easy, but just when you feel there is less to worry about as they exit the baby stages and younger years, you find that the opposite spectrum of childhood — the teen years — are just as challenging.

We asked Graham Snyder, MD, emergency medicine physician and medical director of WakeMed Medical Simulation Center, to share his top tips and thoughts on what every parent and caregiver should know and do to prevent injuries in teens.

Teens need autonomy, so they can learn how to take healthy risks and trusts themselves, but where do parents draw the line?

Snyder recommends parents spend their energy on prevention and preparation steps that have been proven as effective ways to save lives and prevent serious injuries. Preventable injuries are the number one killer of children in the United States.

Pay Attention to Your Pediatrician’s Concerns.

Remember, pediatricians are worried about things that can result in serious pediatric injury or even admittance to a pediatric intensive care unit. Focus on what your doctor thinks is most important for your child instead of just what’s currently grabbing people’s attention in the news headlines.

Secure any and all firearms in your home.

The best way to keep a child safe from guns is to remove all firearms from your home. If you must have a gun in your home, always unload it, lock it up and store ammunition in a completely separate locked place.

Even if you don’t have children living in your home, this prevention step can save the life of a visiting grandchild or the child of a relative or friend.

Parents should ask questions about guns stored in the homes of relatives and friends your child visits, and make sure they are unloaded and properly secured at all times.

Empower teens to get out of dangerous situations.

Do everything you can to make sure your teen is not tempted or coerced into driving carelessly or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. And, make sure they know not to get into the car with anyone who has been drinking or using drugs. They should know not to ride with anyone who they don’t know well and trust to drive safely. If they feel unsafe, they need to know they always have a way out.

Let them know they can always call you or a trusted family friend anytime they feel unsafe — no matter where they are or what they’ve been doing.

“Be clear that they will not be punished for the situation and that what you care about is their safety,” said Dr. Snyder.

Talk to your kids about domestic violence and the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships.

• Mutual respect versus leader/follower
• Trust versus suspiciousness/monitoring
• Honesty versus secrets and lies
• Compromise versus winner/loser mentality
• Individuality versus isolated coupling
• Good communication versus constant arguments
• Anger control versus emotional/physical/verbal/sexual abuse
• Fighting fair versus gaslighting/scapegoating
• Problem solving versus lack of repair
• Understanding versus groupthink
• Being a role model versus being a bully
• Healthy sexual relationship versus coercion and guilt tripping

Lock up all medications and alcohol.

Just one experimental pill can be deadly to your child!

“Kids of all ages are curious, and there are painkillers out there that can kill a child if they take just one,” said Dr. Snyder. “If anyone your child spends time around has an opiate use disorder (known or unknown), they could be taking meds that are much stronger than you ever imagined.”

• Parents and family members need to keep all drugs locked up regardless of what a child has been taught.
• Teens and kids of all ages need to understand the serious danger of taking any pill that has not been prescribed by their own doctor.
• Talk to them and explain the realities of drug-induced fatalities and that ‘just one time’ can be one too many.

Discuss the Dangers of Underage Driving.

Put your car keys in a safe place. Kids should never have unsupervised access to any vehicle until they are legally licensed to drive. Joyriding is a real temptation for kids, and it can lead to a motor vehicle accident that causes serious injuries or death.

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MEET THE EXPERT

Graham Snyder, MD, specializes in emergency medicine and has practiced full-time as an emergency physician at WakeMed Health & Hospitals since 2002. He provides physician oversight and clinical leadership for the Medical Simulation Center. He serves as the Associate Program Director for the University Of North Carolina Department of Emergency Medicine.

He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and also holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University. As the medical director of the Medical Simulation Center, he is able to combine his engineering and medical training to teach all levels of health care providers the art and science of emergency care.

This article is adapted from our Families First Magazine. Interested in getting future issues of Families First delivered to your home? Subscribe here.