It’s 11 p.m. on a Saturday night, do you know where your teenagers are, and what they’re doing? If you answer this query with “I think…” you might want to re-evaluate your relationship with them a bit.

The question is do you know?

Are they at a movie or chugging their fifth beer of the night? Are they at a friends house hanging out or across the county taking bong hits? How well do you know your kids?

While we certainly don’t mean to imply that all kids in North Kitsap are lawless drug users and drinkers, we don’t try to fool ourselves into believing that none are, either. They are out there and in some homes, they are closer than we all might like to think.

The statistics don’t lie. We can’t promise the same of your minty-breathed, yet bleary-eyed teenager. It’s a tough spot. On the one hand you have to trust your kids. On the other, they are kids.

Alcohol and drugs are readily available and although it’s certainly illegal, their abuse in this area is not unheard of. But what are the signs? And what steps can parents take to confront such serious issues with their children?

Wednesday, the North Kitsap School District is inviting both parents and concerned citizens to a forum that takes aim at proactive involvement in and common sense prevention of youth drug and alcohol abuse (See story on Page 2). We applaud the district for doing so and encourage adults throughout the North End to make time for this important event.

Trust them or not, your children aren’t always going to make the right decisions. But when drugs and alcohol are added to the mix, their judgment is significantly impaired.

It boils down to keeping your kids safe.

If that isn’t a good enough reason to attend drug and alcohol prevention information night, we’re not sure what is.