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Educate Yourself. It's
not a matter of learning the latest street talk. It's a matter of
learning why cocaine is so dangerous. That alcohol, tobacco and marijuana
can often lead to hard drugs. That every illegal drug has the potential
of causing catastrophic damage to your child. |
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Start Early. Just as surely as you
need to teach your kids not to play in the road, you need to teach
them about the dangers of drugs, including smoking and drinking. They'll
very likely be exposed to drugs from kindergarten on. So say it early.
Say it often. And match the message with your child's age. |
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Take a Stand. Be clear that you will
not tolerate any use of alcohol and other drugs. Let children know
they will be punished, e.g., grounded, no television, if they disobey. |
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Listen. Don't do all the talking.
Listen. Ask questions. Find out what they think. If you don't listen
to them, they won't listen to you. Carpooling is a great time to listen
and learn about your children and their friends. |
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Set the Rules. Kids need to know
exactly what the rules are. The rules have to be clear, consistent,
reasonable. And enforced. Every kid will try to find out exactly how
far he or she can go. |
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Teach Responsibility. Help your children
to recognize and accept responsibility for their own actions. Children
need to learn that what they do affects other people, as well as themselves. |
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Learn Symptoms. Changes in your child's
behavior and appearance can be symptoms of drug use. And there are
others. Learn the symptoms. Although they don't necessarily mean drugs,
the more symptoms you see the greater the likelihood. |
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Get involved. Perhaps the single
biggest deterrent to drug abuse is open communication. That's almost
impossible unless you've built a foundation. By doing things with
your children. By getting involved with their school and their sports.
By knowing their friends. |
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Don't Preach. Try not to preach or
you'll lose them. If a conversation lasts more than 5 minutes, you're
preaching. Better to have lots of 5-minute conversations. Kids have
short attention spans and shorter memories. |
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Be Consistent. Be in touch with the
parents of your children's friends and adopt similar policies, e.g.,
curfews, no alcohol at parties, chaperones, and others. |
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Promote Alternative Activities. Teach
your children that aggressive behaviors are not acceptable. Help children
channel their energy into sports or other community programs such
as after-school activities, PAL, Department of Recreation, and local
community-based programs. |
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Understanding Peer Pressure. Help
adolescent children learn how to say "no" to peers, yet
"save face" by using you as an excuse; e.g., I'd get grounded. |
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Assess Your Behavior. Look at your
own behaviors and identify ways in which you may, by example, be
inadvertently teaching your children that abusing drugs and alcohol
is okay.
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Ask for Help. If you don't feel you're
getting anywhere, ask for help. Your school may have a drug counselor.
Your doctor or county health organization can give you a referral.
You can also call the national help line at 1800-662-HELP. To learn
more about how to cope with the dangers of drugs call for a free parent's
handbook for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. 1800-624-0100 |
