I thought that these tips to keep your kids safe and drug-free were very good advice and wanted to share a few of them with you. I found them on the Partnership for a Drug Free-America web site I'm definitely going to keep these in mind as I raise my children!
- Be your kids' greatest fan. Compliment them on all of their efforts, the strength of their character, and their individuality.
- Get your kids involved in adult-supervised after-school activities. Ask them what types of activities they're interested in and contact the school principal or guidance counselor to find out what activities are available for your child. Sometimes it takes a bit of experimenting to find out which activities your kids are best suited for, but it's worth the effort - feeling competent makes kids much less likely to use drugs.
- Help your kids develop tools they can use to get out of alcohol, or drug-related, situations. Let them know they can use you as an excuse: "My mom would kill me if I drank a beer!"
- Get to know your children's friends and their parents. Set appointments for yourself to call them and check-in to make sure they share your views on alcohol, tobacco , and other drugs. Steer your kids away from any friends who use drugs.
- Call kids' parents if their home is to be used for a party. Make sure that the party will be alcohol-free and supervised by adults.
- Set curfews and enforce them. Let kids know the consequences of breaking curfew.
- Encourage open dialogue with your children about their experiences. Make sure your children understand that they can ask you anything, and that you'll give them an honest answer.
- Make it easy for your child to leave a place where drugs are being used by offering to pick them up anytime.
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Comments: 7
The second one is easy. You just let them know that no matter what, they have a ride home, no questions - but you must mean it! Of course that doesn't mean you can't talk about it if and when they want to. The fact that they call at all is a huge statement.
It's the first one that's hard: really listening. Not because we don't care about what our children say, but often we are busy or distracted and they don't always choose times when we are at our best or most alert to want to talk. My daughter is famous for wanting to talk 30 minutes past my bedtime. So it takes effort. But, of course, they are very much worth it!