Schoolies celebrations became huge back in the 1980s and have become a traditional end-of-school celebration for lots of high school leavers. It’s a great way to mark a huge milestone in their lives, but of course when a bunch of young, excitable people get together, parents often can’t help worrying about what could go wrong. We’ve put together a few schoolies tips for parents to pass on to your teen so they can stay safe while having fun – and hopefully help alleviate any of your concerns too.
Make time for a chat
Communication is always the best way for you to make sure your teen is fully prepared. It also gives you an opportunity to offer your support and address and worries or concerns they have. Just make sure it’s not a lecture or negative, otherwise they’re likely to switch off or get defensive.
Talk about all the fun stuff they have a planned, where they’ll be staying, and who they’re going with. You can also bring up the hard topics like being responsible if alcohol and drugs are involved, safe sex, and generally taking care of themselves and their mates.
Remind them to be true to themselves, stick with their choices, to do what’s right for them (you could discuss boundaries in advance too), and not to bow to peer pressure.
Have their back
Ask them to provide you with all the information you’ll need to help them in case anything goes wrong.
- Address of where they’re staying (have a quick check of the accommodation agreement too)
- Travel details
- Agreed times/days when they’ll check in to let you know they’re OK
- Contact details of friends they’ll be with
- Their bank card details, just in case it gets lost
- Add an ICE (in case of emergency) contact to their phone as well as the Red Frogs Hotline 1300 557 123
Make sure they have everything they need. You could even send them with some essential supplies, or organise a delivery of:
- Slabs of bottled water
- Pre-cooked or microwave meals
- Non-perishable snacks
- A small first aid kit
- Some cash to keep as an emergency stash
Keeping the peace
We know that your worries come from a place of love and concern but your teen is feeling independent and getting their first taste of adulting. So here are some things we recommend that you don’t do:
- Do not call or SMS your teen constantly – stick to the agreed check in times. Especially try to avoid contacting them while they are driving.
- Don’t provide them with alcohol even if they are over 18 – research has shown that providing them with alcohol could lead to more risky behaviour.
- Don’t post about them or their friends on social media without their permission.
And here are some other things you can do:
- Join the Red Frogs Schoolies Advice for Parents group for updates and tips so you can feel informed.
- Check out the Safer Schoolies page.
- Download a checklist to give to your teen before they head off.
Not all teens are the same
If your school leaver is keen to celebrate but the chaos of schoolies is stressing them out, you could always help them to find other ways to celebrate instead.
Send them off with a positive mindset
Make sure your teen knows that they can call you at any time of the day or night and that you’ll be there to help them, no matter what.
You can find more blogs for parents on our website here.