Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84goodLIVING Take a Break on the Lake PLAY IT SAFE AND SHORE UP SUMMER FUN WITH THESE 6 BOATING TIPS by Lisa A. Beach For many teens, nothing beats an afternoon on the lake with friends. Before you celebrate their decision to unplug from a screen and spend the day outdoors, review some guidelines with them to ensure their day of fun in the sun is safe. Although your teens might still need prompting about applying sunscreen, they’ve now got even bigger issues to deal with-the potential dangers of boating, swimming, and drinking alcohol. It’s important to have frank discussions with them. For starters, share these sobering statistics: • Drowning is the third leading cause of injury-related death among children 19 and under, according to Safe Kids Worldwide. • Nearly 85% of boating fatality drowning victims in Texas were not wearing a life jacket, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. • Alcohol plays a role in 50% of all boating accidents, according to Boat Owners Association of the United States. • In Texas in 2015, alcohol use was a contributing factor in seven accidents, six injuries, and one death, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Of course, if your kids are like most teens, they may have questionable judgment and an invincible mentality. “A teenager’s frontal lobe (the judgment and decision-making area) is not yet developed. This is why teens act impulsively and appear to make poor decisions,” explains Stacie R. Allphin MS, LCDC, Director of Adolescent Services, Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center in Houston. “As a result, many teens participate in high-risk activities, such as jet skiing while intoxicated, jumping off cliffs into water, etc.” Adding alcohol into the mix only increases the odds of a lake- side disaster. "If you’re operating a boat and cause an accident, you’re liable just like you’d be if you were driving a car – to the people in your vehicle and anyone else you get in an accident with.” - Robert L. Chaiken, partner, Chaiken & Chaiken, P.C.