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Communication is Key when it comes to Your Kids and Drugs
By Brandie McGraw
Your 10-year-old tells you a friend offered him some marijuana (or other substance). You can begin your conversation by asking for more information.
Q: What do you know about marijuana (or other substance)?
A: [Chances are your child will have some information on marijuana (or other substance), but not all of the information may be accurate. If your child doesn't know about the harms of marijuana (or other substance), you can do the following things together to find out more:
Ask more questions to continue the conversation.
Q: Do you know what happens if you use marijuana (or other substances)?
A: Listen to your child's response. Does he mention any of the consequences listed below? If not, you should mention them. We have used marijuana as the example here.
Smoking marijuana is illegal and could result in getting suspended or kicked out of school, being sent to jail or juvenile detention, and having a criminal record. All of these things could affect the rest of his life.
Smoking marijuana sets a bad example for younger siblings.
Smoking marijuana will hurt his lungs and cause him to perform poorly in sports.
Smoking marijuana will hurt his brain and could result in memory loss, bad grades, and a loss of motivation.
Smoking marijuana would affect his relationship with you and others he cares about.
Smoking marijuana would affect the whole family greatly. State what the resulting consequences would be in your family.
Communication Is Important Because Some Kids Use Drugs To Satisfy Curiosity.
Children are very curious about alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. They are exposed to drug messages on TV, in the movies and videos, in newspapers and magazines, at school, on the Internet, and in conversations with friends and family. Even if we have done an outstanding job of educating and nurturing the children in our care, some children will remain curious about alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. Their sources of drug information may not always be accurate or have their best interests at heart. But you do. That's why it's important for you to know about the drugs your child may be exposed to and for you to communicate the consequences associated with them. Let your kids know that you will drug test them at home. This is a huge deterrent and your kids have a way out with their friend, No way. My parents drug test me!
There Is a Difference between Boys and Girls
There's no denying that boys and girls are different. Differences between the sexes become more obvious with the onset of puberty. So do boys and girls needs when it comes to resisting alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use. Boys and girls experience adolescence differently because of various social, cultural, physiological, and psychological challenges. For example, among boys, puberty tends to increase aggressive behavior, while among girls puberty tends to bring a higher incidence of depression.
Studies show that girls may lose self-confidence and self-worth during this pivotal time, become less physically active, perform less well in school, and neglect their own interests and aspirations. During these years, girls are more vulnerable to negative outside influences and to mixed messages about risky behaviors. Girls are also at higher risk than boys for sexual abuse, which has been associated with substance abuse.
Puberty generally occurs a year or two later in boys than it does in girls. The physical changes boys go through can cause a lack of coordination that may lead to injury. Boys tend to experience mood swings and can have feelings of anxiety during puberty. During these years, boys crave exploration of things associated with being grown up, including sexual behavior or experimentation with alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs. But boys and girls also have a lot in common. They need the same kinds of guidance, information, and nurture from their parents to help them grow into healthy, well-informed adolescents and adults. Both boys and girls are less likely to smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs if they have: a positive attitude, an ability to adapt to changing circumstances, a belief in their ability to handle things and a warm, close-knit family and parental supervision with consistent discipline.
Also lose friends, an extended family that provides support, community resources, and family and community attitudes that do not tolerate substance abuse helps as well.
Resources for parents:
Home Drug Test Drug test kits and supplies that are easy to use and inexpensive found at: www.uatests.com/types-of-drug-tests/home-drug-test.html
Parents Drug Resource Complete drug resource information about drugs, drug use, signs and symptoms, etc. found at: www.uatests.com/drug-testing-information/parent-drug-resource.html
Color Your Kid’s Room
By Chelsi Woolz
Little kids love color. If you were painting the living spaces in your home more subdued color schemes are generally the rule of thumb, with the odd feature color; but when updating your child's bedroom you can let yourself go a bit more, indulge not just their wildest fantasies but some of your own.
Jungle theme
Soft greens, darker olives, a hint or beige and an accent of orange or banana yellow may sound like risky paint choices but try imaging a base wall color of palest green paint with a few large stronger green leaves painted on each wall of the room. Here's how to create your jungle paint color scheme.
- First paint the room all over with the base color, using a normal white for the ceiling.
- Use magazines to find ideas then sketch a clump of four to five "taller than my child" leaves in each corner of the bedroom. (Make them big so the child really gets a sense of "wow, I'm in a rainforest".)
- Choose up to four paint colors in addition to your soft green base paint.
- Use a lead pencil or some chalk and draw your leaves onto the wall. Start from the floor up. If you are not a confident drawer and want to play it safe, use a simple arc to shape your leaves. Make them 300 to 500mm wide.
- Mask up the leaf shape using masking type to reduce the risk of having the paint run then start to paint, being sure to alternate the color of the leaves each time you paint a new one. You can use the same color on the second and fifth leaves or the first and fourth leaves.
- You can outline each leaf with a 10mm edge of the banana yellow paint or the dark olive for extra effect.
- In one or two corners from the ceiling rim down (but not onto the ceiling) draw three or four smaller leaves, this time about half the size of your child. Mask up. Again, alternate your paint colors as you go.
To add additional character to the room use large transfers of jungle animals, birds and flowers. Buy fake flowers and string them together, then hang above windows or hang across the door way. Decorate the room with potted indoor plants, and perhaps find a nearly-life-sized tiger teddy to rest way up high on the book shelf with one paw dangling over the edge.
Painting your child's room can be fun. Try to involve the child in the decision making. Discuss the themes with them. Ask them to give you permission to experiment on their behalf. Take them shopping for special toys and objects to decorate their room. Of course, after putting all that effort in, you want to make sure the paint job will last. When choosing your paint make it is going to be tough enough to handle the punishment it is likely to get and is washable, suitable for children (who can be more sensitive) and low in chemicals. A low sheen acrylic is usually a good idea.
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