Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Children are the most vulnerable during their growing years and will always have their curiosity spiked by anything new. The same applies to the usual attractions of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. Keeping them away from drugs is really important as this is a decision which can change the course of their whole life. The warnings have to be given to children in such a way that they really understand the repercussions of drug usage. Here are some parenting tips when it comes to keeping your children away from the danger of drug abuse for their own betterment.
- Be the Perfect Role Model
Hypocrisy rarely works in such a situation. Advising your children while doing drugs yourself is never going to achieve the required objective. Children usually observe a lot and the same applies to the habits of their parents, whom they may see as their role models. This makes it really important to maintain a clean image and stay clean at least for the sake of your children. Only then will they be fully convinced by your words and stay away from drugs.
- Do the Talk
It is important to sit down and talk about the effects of drug usage to your children. Assuming that your child will not be affected by drugs and feeling that there would have been enough information regarding the issue from schools is not very realistic. Give them all that they need to know about drug usage to make sure that the dangers are understood clearly. Make it as simple as required for them to fully grasp the consequences of any actions that they take.
- Use the Friendly Gesture
When exposing children to such a sensitive issue, it should be done in a realistic way. Giving them a clear picture in the friendliest way should be done, rather than using harsh and threatening tones. The way the message was delivered will also highly impact how children react to any unsupervised situation. Showing that you have placed utmost trust on them can alter how they resist any peer pressure or temptations.
- Point Out Real-Life Examples
There are many people who have become slaves to drugs and will do anything to get their next fix. Pointing out the deep slip that their life has taken works more effectively than all the lectures that you have planned on the subject of drug education. Children today, believe what they see. The same applies to this situation too. By showing them actual people whose lives have been drastically affected by drug usage, you can make sure that you have instilled the right fear in their minds of being exposed to drugs.
- Keep an Eye on Their Gang
Peer pressutre seems to be one of the most common reasons for children to try drugs. This makes it important for parents to keep an eye on the people that their children hang out with. Getting to know their best friends, the people they party with and the things that they usually do with their friends is not only a way to bond better but also a precaution to make sure that they stay safe.
- Spend More Time Together
As time passes, the distance can increase between you and your children. This is quite natural as they seem to develop their own interests and friends. However, it is important for you to keep them close by making sure that they can come to you for any matter. Encourage them to get a hobby which will keep them engaged and maybe opt for something which can be done together. This will help them be distracted from other unwanted distractions and also help you keep your relationship strong.
- Provide A Stress-Free Environment
During this age, children are exposed to a lot of changes and are quite confused about themselves and their surroundings. If a violent or disturbed situation prevails in their environment persistently, children may look for other ways to manage the mental breakdown that they are being exposed to. This is why parents should try keeping the home a place where their children can be happy, in spite of any issues that they may be facing.
Children are incapable of fully understanding the consequences of the actions that they may try out. It is the parents’ duty to ensure proper education on the subject for their kids to be safe out of harm’s way.
These tips are really helpful. My child is heading into a dangerous stage now of having to choose between what is right and what is cool. Although we have had talks with him about drugs and what they can do to you, it always comes down to trust, doesn’t it. I have tried my best to have a very open relationship with my son and he can ask me anything and I will answer him truthfully and if I feel that he is too young to discuss certain topics with him, then I tell him honestly that what he wishes to discuss is not appropriate for kids and if his friends talk about it, he should tell them the same. My husband did do drugs in his younger years, but we don’t discuss this with our son, because we are scared that he might use his dad’s past as an excuse. Am I paranoid?
The fact that you have an open relashionship with your son is amazing and in his teen years that will be the best thing.
My husband grew up in a very conservative house where if you say alcohol you will get grounded, him and his sister of course did everything behind their parents back just to prove a point including drugs. I on the other hand had and still have a very open relashionship with my parents and when it came to being myself or being what was considered cool i alsways chose myself and would always tell my parents about what happened. Soo keep having those open discussions with your son, he will be just fine. Your just a parent wondering if you are doing it right soo its natural to be paranoid.
Thank you for this article , this is one of the things that stresses me most . In my town there are constant arrests made and drugs are being sold to our children. There is the so called drug houses in Parys but nothing gets done to get rid of these people in our town. I am so scared that one of my kids will eventually end up taking the wrong path I let them watch videos with me of people on drugs and the effect it has and I hope that it is making an impact.
This article is very relevant. I think that most of us do not realize the vastness of this growing problem. I may be wrong, but I think that unconditional acceptance from your close family will make a difference when a teenager needs to choose against drugs.
When I think about myself when I was a teenager I knew that I was accepted by my family. Therefore pressure from friends to fit in did not effect me,because I knew that I already do have a place where I will always be accepted and always fit in.
But this is only my uninformed opinion, because I never experienced any problems in this area.