Spring Break Confessions: Part 1

Spring Break Confessions: Part 1

Monday, April 7, 2008

filed under: tween & teen logic

Teens go for the fun, sun, and surf ... and many add massive amounts of drinking, drugs, and dangerous sex when they get there.

These spring break confessions are shocking testimonials from real teens for whom going away means going to scary extremes--getting drunk and high, hooking up with strangers--and, too often, ending up arrested, sexually assaulted, or clinging to life in the hospital.

Although stories like Natalee Holloway's make front page news, author, pediatrician and ML contributor Dr. Cara Natterson says most teens can't anticipate consequences because, "their frontal lobe, the C.E.O. of their brain, isn't fully developed yet," which is why so many teens still live like there's no tomorrow.

So, how can you keep your child safe? "The most important thing is to set limits," says Dr. Natterson. "If you know the situation will be wild, don't let him or her go. It is equally important to keep talking to your child. Bluntly tell him or her what worries you. Use short-term examples like: 'You won't to be able to play sports next week,' instead of talking about long-term addiction or eventual loss of brain-cells."

"While it is true that the chemistry of the teen brain, with its impulse-intensive responses, will often win out over your words of warning--your words are still valuable," says Dr. Natterson. "Every time you sit with your child and have that talk, it's another piece of hay on the haystack. Eventually the stack gets big enough that you are influencing your child's decisions." Ready to get started? Download our discussion guide: HTML or PDF.

Did you or your child go on spring break? Take our Spring Break Survey.
Survey for teens	Survey for parents

Coming tomorrow: Shocking teen confessions about spring break sex.

169 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

i’m an 18 yr old college student who has experienced dorm life and i have to say it is equally the fault of parent and child. The parents need to tell their kids the truth and my peers tend to be dumb. Parents can be stupid as well by saying “well everyone expreiments”. What is there to experiment about? Drugs and alcohol can kill you, what do you not understand about that? There is nothing wrong with partying but just don’t be a dumb@$$ about it. It isn’t even about moral upbringing, it’s common sense and logic. I have been raised in a religious background and i have peers the same way who do it because they don’t realize how easily they can be killed, raped or infected with STDs. And I have peers who abstain who aren’t particularly religious because it is a sensible thing not to put yourself out there for harm. Raise your kids to be thinkers and make sure their friends care about them and have goals instead of being losers looking to drag your kid down with them. Then if your kid still does wrong know its not because of you but because they are adults and they chose to do something dumb.

- Anonymous

Posted 04/12/08 12:08 PM

Having watched 22 years of Daytona Spring Break I no longer will pay for bus tickets home, Train rides or will no longer pick upa single female hitch hiking back north. A few years back I picked up a girl with sign say lost money on spring Break need ride North to New Jersey . She first offered sex for money, then threatened to tell cops I forced her into vehiclefor sex if I didn’t give cash -I had tape recorder dictating prior to picking her up had it on tape called 911. State cop took her-He was smart enough to call for female officer to transport her. Never did get my tape recorder back from cops though

- Circus Tim

Posted 04/12/08 12:08 PM

Yeah, I’m a 17-year-old and I can easily tell you that my peers do stuff like this all the time. In fact, most of them either smoke, do drugs and/or alcohol, and have a ton of sex. It doesn’t matter that I live in a suburban middle-class/upper-class conservative village in WI; all those things happen EVERYWHERE. In big cities, in the country, etc. Moms and dads, my peers lie to you. Pay attention to who your teenagers are hanging out with, unless you want them to end up in the hospital for alcohol poisoning or your daughter giving birth. Although it disgusts me that so many of my peers take part in those kind of activities, if you try to keep them away from those things, they’re just more likely to do it once they go off to college, or behind your backs. If you don’t know your son and daughter well now that he/she is an increasingly independent teenager, sit them down and talk to them. If you have suspicions that they are doing illegal and dangerous activities, ask them about it.

- Melly

Posted 04/12/08 12:09 PM

that what i call fun……………=]

- melissa

Posted 04/12/08 12:10 PM

This is NOT a law enforcement issue. Contrary to what most baby-boomers think, it’s not up to the government to control kids who haven’t been taught by their parents how to act. You have to be blind to not realize that this is what has been happening within the black community for generations. No parental guidance. It all starts at home. And if parents did a better job of parenting, this wouldn’t be an issue.

- Kevin

Posted 04/12/08 12:15 PM

I thought No One cared about these things anymore…. at least most of the people I read about don’t…… just read these message boards and it will show… whoops, I meant read the political message boards, don’t worry about the hollywood message boards, they are just WAY to extreme for kids…..

- TONY BAJA

Posted 04/12/08 12:15 PM

as long as a child is of age you cannot stop them from going as long as you teach them right from wrong they will do the right thing train children in martial arts so they can defend themselves if they have to i have five children and they all know it they are intelligent and can deal with all situations that come up

- heidi

Posted 04/12/08 12:27 PM

im 28…. ive been all over the world, during spring break and not… My parents laid rules out and my privilages came with age, maturity, and behavior. To All of you parents sheltering your child and forbidding them to do anything, this will only cause rebellion and resentmet. Your kids are going to be the ones getting drink and ending up on girls gone wild. Let me say this… ive never tried drugs or exploited my body or had sex and didnt remember the next day. Spring break is fun.. and i had alot of fun on it. Its not a breeding ground of evil. Get over it… And ill just say this… your kids dont have to be away on vacation to drink, do drugs or have sex. it can happend at home!!!

- Anonymous

Posted 04/12/08 12:29 PM

Good job messing up their live even more by posting that video of them on the internet. Good job looking out for the kids!

- Nate

Posted 04/12/08 12:36 PM

For the poll all it asked was “would you let your child go on spring break?” It didn’t ask you if you would let your child go out of town to miami, fl or somewhere. Saying spring break is just what it is spring break.

- Nesha

Posted 04/12/08 12:54 PM

Stupid is as stupid does. I just worked during Spring Break and just went to a movie or two with friends. I saw no need to be some braindead teenage mother with an STD and no degree. If you want a scary wake up you should talk to the kids at the dorms because the college I am attending has drug dealers that walk on campus and sell drugs door to door. The rent-a-cops do nothing and complaints are ignored. My first room mate became a drug addict and the dorm leaders didn’t care. Parents, before you drop your kid off at the dorms interview people who have lived in them FIRST. Had I known this I would have rented a crappy apartment and foregone the “dorm” experience. Kids walk in past the guards drunk and stoned out of their stupid little heads. Drop in to observe the college that are not tour days to prospective students. My college times it so that you don’t see the high crime rate around the dorms in the Monday paper. Your kids aren’t safe but you can take steps to ensure that they make smart choices and stay with the right crowd to avoid getting raped, murdered, or mugged.

- Sarah

Posted 04/12/08 12:56 PM

How lame! If people don’t want their kids to be HUMAN, dont’ have clumps! DUH! I did all this sh** when I was around 30. It’s hedonism. Wake the F. up people.

- Ash

Posted 04/12/08 01:00 PM

Anyone wonder why we get the leaders we get. Wonder no more.

- Robert

Posted 04/12/08 01:01 PM

We were in Brownsville, TX at the time of 2007 spring break. We hear about all this immature behavior, drinking & drugs, but the local news reported 7 rapes in one day…you girls need to grow up and figure out who you are…other than plain stupid.

- j Brady

Posted 04/12/08 01:35 PM

Every genertion thinks they just “invented having a good time” and do stupid things that later in life they pay or regret. Parents have to have an open talk with their kids about, sex, drugs and driving. Yes they will do what they want but many of them will be guided by their parents values. Also..don’t treat a teenager like a Hilton, buying them everything and paying for vacations to foreign countries where they may get raped / killed. Come on now..think!!!!

- Lauren

Posted 04/12/08 01:50 PM

everyone knows you have to be 21 to drink. so where is the law. they know kids will be everywhere drinking and doing drugs during spring break arrest them all

- sandy

Posted 04/12/08 02:03 PM

Spring breaks were originally for college students! I don’t know how the high school kids got in on it, but they should NOT be allowed to go. They are KIDS, not adults, and have no idea whatsoever of what they are doing to their bodies, or brains. So many have died and their “it isn’t going to happen to me” is the way they think, until it’s too late.

- Leigh

Posted 04/12/08 02:20 PM

And yet the amazing thing is, most of these teenagers will survive being kids and grow up to be responsible adults with no lasting consequences. It’s the Chicken Little “OH NO THE SKY IS FALLING!” attitude of this article that puts me off. Yes, bad things happen. And you don’t want them to happen to your kid. You don’t want your kid getting an STD that can’t be cured by antibiotics or dying of alcohol poisoning or being raped or arrested. Talk to them about the consequences of their actions. But remember, if the kids party a little, it’s not the end of the world.

- Allie

Posted 04/12/08 05:43 PM

My daughter is now 23 and NEVER went on Spring Break unless it was with me and her dad. We would always let her take a friend or two. Today she has an occasional drink but NEVER turned wild. A little bit of supervision and a lot of being their friend will go a long way. Also the word NO helps. If you don’t pay for them to go how will they?

- Deb

Posted 04/12/08 11:45 PM

Well duhhh this is not Neww of course its been going on for years!!! But how embarrasing iz it for the students in the video i would be so ashamed of myself!!! they look soo trashy!!! its for the parents to see and take a look at what you daughter do behind your back!! gosh …so so sad!!!

- Smartcollege student

Posted 04/14/08 01:06 AM