Parent Drug Awareness and Information
Parent influence is stronger than any other influence, including peers, friends, social media, and school. Make sure to model healthy behaviors, coping-skills, and communications. Your choices, your actions - what you do and do not say - strongly influences who your kids will become and what they will practice. Teens need parental closeness, guidance, and monitoring just as much as younger kids.
Here are 3 important things parents can do to protect children from risky behaviors:
Bonding
The stronger the relationship between parents and teens, the more they won't want to disappoint you. Bonding to strengthen your relationship doesn't just mean special trips to ice cream or enormous holiday celebrations, it can be something as simple as eating meals together regularly or helping them with their homework. Working and playing together creates closeness.
Boundaries
Very few teens will try drugs or alcohol if parents make it extremely clear & explain the consequences for breaking the family rule of zero substance use. Show support and offer assistance in upholding boundaries. It is helpful for teens who have a hard time saying "no" to be able to use their parents as a reason to get out of sketchy or dangerous situations.
Follow through with consequences when rules are broken.
Monitoring
The best parenting approach to protect youth is checking on your kids in a respectful and caring way. Trust them, but always verify.
Before they go anywhere, ask questions:
Where are you going?
Who are you going with?
What will you be doing?
When will you be home?
Will there be alcohol or other drugs?
Send reminders while they are out, like, "It's getting close to curfew."
Online Resources For Parents
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