Drug-proof your kids in the London Times talks about the use of drugs in a child's life. One mother found a poster in her 13 year old daughter's room that said " “Busted for blow. Cannabis should not be illegal.” When she asked her daughter about the poster, the child simply said that "everyone tries it" and that "it isn't dangerous". The mother was dumbfounded so she went to a support group on how to drug-proof your child. It was later discussed that telling a child about the risks of drugs, instead of telling them not to do them has a better effect on him/her. Of course, throughout a child's lifetime they are given so much information about the negative effects of drugs, and simply brush off the facts they were given. They are given "informed choices" and the popular thing to do to get rid of this extra stress is to just go get high. The successful way to reach out to a child on drug use is to improve the child's confidence and self esteem. The family should have an honest relationship, and be able to tell each other if they have engaged in drug use or not. If they have, then they can talk about why they did it and ways to prevent it from happening again. It's a better idea to have the child be able to be honest with thier parents, and to be able to admit they made a mistake. After doing drugs, it's important for the child not to be scared to tell thier parents what they have done. A totally open, friendly relationship between a parent and a child is key so that the child doesn't feel the need to rebel.
4 comments:
In the article about drug-proofing one's children, several concerned parents attend special support groups to help with getting their children to avoid drugs. The best way to accomplish this should be to just tell the child throughout their life that drugs are risky and if taken in the wrong doses, they can be deadly. Also, taking drugs for non-medical uses is dangerous and there are many risks. Being a friend and explaining this is not always best. Sometimes, a parent needs to take responsibility and stop worrying if they are too harsh. Through being honest and knowing all of the facts ahead of time, a parent can accomplish a lot more because they sound more genuine and they are less likely to contradict themselves. Then, let the child make their own decisions. And, if all else fails, just show them a police film where a girl stabbed her boyfriend's eyes because she was "tripping."
I think Holly is right in saying that children should be able to have an open and honest relationship with their parents, but I think that even under these circumstances it would still be difficult for a child to admit to their parents that they had done drugs. Maybe having too close of a relationship would lead to the child starting to hide a lot of things becuase they would be afraid that their parents would be ashamed of them or that they would no longer respect them. I think there is a point when a parent might need to stop being less of the "friend" type and tell the kid the facts. Kids need to know about the negative effects of drugs, and although some people might say that the media is just brainwashing people to not try drugs, there is medical proof that drugs have negative health effects. Kids will not always listen to their parents, becuase their friends' opinions might seem more important to them at times, but parents should still stress facts to kids and tell them what is wrong and right from the start. I guess it is good to learn from experience, but it is still important to be told the facts from the beginning--that drugs are not the answer.
I think Holly is right in saying that children should be able to have an open and honest relationship with their parents, but I think that even under these circumstances it would still be difficult for a child to admit to their parents that they had done drugs. Maybe having too close of a relationship would lead to the child starting to hide a lot of things becuase they would be afraid that their parents would be ashamed of them or that they would no longer respect them. I think there is a point when a parent might need to stop being less of the "friend" type and tell the kid the facts. Kids need to know about the negative effects of drugs, and although some people might say that the media is just brainwashing people to not try drugs, there is medical proof that drugs have negative health effects. Kids will not always listen to their parents, becuase their friends' opinions might seem more important to them at times, but parents should still stress facts to kids and tell them what is wrong and right from the start. I guess it is good to learn from experience, but it is still important to be told the facts from the beginning--that drugs are not the answer.
In this article, the author talks about explaining the effects of drugs instead of just telling children not to do drugs. I feel that both are important, children should be told not to use drugs, but they should be told why. Having an open and honest relationship with your parents/children is vital when talking about serious issues such as drug and alcohol abuse. As a parent, you need to be a guide for your child as they enter adulthood. I think that it is very important for you to have a friendship with you parent, but they should be the ones in control setting rules. Sometimes parents don't realize mistakes they make involving talking to their children until it is too late. Also, I believe that drugs aren't only for people that lack self-esteem. There are many successful people that do drugs that you are involved with everyday whether it be your doctor, lawyer, teacher, or etc. I'm not saying by any means that in order to be successful you should do drugs, but look at all the media messages that are being sent to the children regarding drug abuse in Hollywood. Their favorite star Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton are known for doing drugs. What kind of message does that send to us as teenagers and people who are even younger. This is why it is crucial to have a relationship with your parents where you feel you can come to them with anything.
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