Ty Burrell Has Some Advice For Parents of Teens

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Let’s be honest, Ty Burrell, aka Phil Dunphy from Modern Family, could give us a good talking to about the finer points of latex paint and we’d probably cozy up to listen. He’s just that kind of guy — disarmingly affable and sincere and funny. This is a good thing because right now he’s talking about meningitis. Yes, meningitis, that overlooked infection that, you probably didn’t know, kills 1 in 10 who develop it with 1 in 5 having long-term health consequences like brain damage and hearing loss. Also, kids age 16 to 23 have the highest rates of it. And that’s what brings us here with Burrell, a dad of two teens, and a message. In partnership with GSK (for the Ask2BSure campaign) Burrell has teamed up once again with Julie Bowen and a stand-in teen actor (mom and dad are back!) to give awareness and, yes, make jokes. Leading up to the campaign we talked to Burrell about his own two teens and how’s he’s doing as a parent of a notoriously tough age, what advice he has for those with pre-teens, and how he’s become the doorjamb of the family (and that’s ok!) So … Why are you, Ty Burrell, America’s dad, talking about meningitis? Well, it's pretty organic, actually. I have teenage girls, and unfortunately, the most vulnerable population is, actually, I guess, teens to college, 16 to 23. And that's doing large part to the teen lifestyle. My girls play sports, and there's a lot of water bottle swapping. And once you're in colleg…