indicators; Parental Guidance Suggested

American Demographics, Nov, 1999 by Jennifer Lach

Father may know best, but he isn't always sharing: A teen who lives in a two-parent household and has a poor or fair relationship with his dad is 68 percent more likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs than all teens in two-parent households, according to a new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

More than twice as many teens say it's easier to talk to mom than dad about drugs (57 percent vs. 26 percent), and 45 percent say mom is more demanding when it comes to grades and homework. Who's to blame for their kids trying drugs? Roughly 31 percent of parents say peers, and another 30 percent cite their child. Just 17 percent of parents point the finger at themselves.