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Be honest with your kids about drugs and their effects... give your kids credit until there is reason to have concerns. --Casey
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Yep....and IF they are actually coming close to doing drugs....or ARE doing drugs...come down on them like a ton of bricks, IMO.
Too often....WAY too often, I have seen and heard first hand, how so many parents refuse to see what's really going on in their child's life. When they find those drugs...they want to 'hide' this and act like it will just go away if they 'talk' to their child enough. It seldom happens to go away with this alone.
First hand, I have seen one kid get into trouble with drugs. The parents found strange 'contraband' in the kids' possession. Immeditately, they called the local law......who spoke with the kid. They took the kid out of the public school---where their kid had been having problems of late---and put him into a private school the following school day.
The kid 'came out on top'. His attitude changed. His grades improved. He started smiling again...and he's a success today.
Had those parents simply 'poo-pooed' the situation. Had they panicked and/or tried to reason with the kid......things---more than likely---would have stayed the same.
As one parent told me....at this point (the above scenario)....the kid isn't 'talking'...the 'drugs' are...and the kid is listening to what the drugs are telling him. Period.
There's too little 'tough love' for our children these days. We want to think that ONLY using our words of love and concern will make sense to our kids and they'll 'stop the bad stuff because they love us so'. Seldom does this happen this way.
Keep your kids close. Don't be afraid to 'be old fashioned' and not 'go with what is now considered to be PC. Talk often to your kids.....but only trust where trust has been earned. Remember that they're kids....not adults. They still have growing to do...they still need direction (no matter how much they might object)....and times are tougher now to grow up, than ever before. They need rules and guidance...not TV's, nintendos, new vehicles and 'cool parents'.
Okay.....my two cents and more....
Sincerely,
Linny