As teens, we are—as cliché as it sounds—the future of the world. What we do and how we behave will impact our species’ ability to be successful once our parents are gone. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that adults spend so much time trying to push us into their perceived right direction. One of the largest projects at hand? Stopping our growing use of drugs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse tells us that this concern is not unfounded; Thirty-seven percent of 8-12th graders were found to have smoked marijuana in the past month, up from 31 percent in 2012, while all other drug use has remained high. Different combative efforts have been tried throughout history, from increasing the difficulty to obtain drugs and severity of punishment in the past, and more recently, goofy ad campaigns in which smiling groups of 20-somethings posing as teens tell us that smokers aren’t as cool as non-smokers through the overzealous use of hashtags and millennial lingo. With limited success through these methods, many parents have been prompted to implement a new strategy to deter drug use, by simply doing nothing at all.

Many parents have an accurate understanding of the amount of drinking and drug-taking that teens do, yet choose to ignore it to avoid unwanted confrontations, or simply to appear ‘cool.’ Many times, house parties involving drugs and alcohol occur in a home where parents fully know about it, so often that 32 states have legalized litigative action against these adults if any party-goer gets into legal trouble that night. While fear mongering or getting up on a soap box require effort that usually only results in an eye roll and “whatever, Dad,” turning a blind eye is painless to all parties involved. Or is it?

The short-term effects of this method certainly appear promising. Instead of wasting time and heartache arguing with teens about their weekend plans, adults get to allow blossoming youths to make their own decisions. This freedom can undoubtedly lead to mistakes, but ultimately, many feel fine with allowing these missteps in order to encourage kids to learn and grow on their own. However, drug and alcohol-fueled mistakes usually far exceed missed deadlines or hurt feelings, drifting more towards irreversible damage to the lives of themselves or those around them.

On the flip side, kids whose parents relentlessly comb over their behavior and vow to mercilessly punish them if any abuse is discovered often end up in the same dangerous boat as those whose parents do the exact opposite. Temptation to stick it to mom and dad often drives these teens to riskily binge on any and every vice they can get their hands on. Both polarizing parenting methods mean no positive or constructive dialogue ever takes place regarding drug or alcohol use, and teens grow up in a state of ignorance about how to get a taste of adulthood without being entirely self destructive.

Though no solution will work 100 percent of the time, it’s important for adults to try to find the middle ground of this dilemma, and simply think logically for a second. Whether they try to scare them out of it or or simply ignore it, alcohol and drugs will still inevitably be used. The best way to avoid this usage ending in tragedy is encouraging a child to be open with them about their desires, and in turn communicating their own concerns. Don’t freak out; Don’t ignore it. Take a deep breath. If we are the future, it’s only fair that we are given the correct tools to make it there safely.