How to Talk to Your Child

Remember the fried egg? ..."This is your brain on drugs." We were young then - maybe close to the age of our children now. The organization that put that campaign together is the "Partnership for a Drugfree America". It was around before there even was a world wide web. Today, they have a web site that helps parents every day.

The Partnership at Drugfree.org is a nonprofit organization that helps parents prevent, intervene in and find treatment for drug and alcohol use by their children. By bringing together renowned scientists, parent experts and communications professionals, we not only translate current research on teen behavior, addiction and treatment into easy to understand, actionable resources at drugfree.org, but we offer hope and help to the parents of the 11 million teens and young adults who need help with drugs and alcohol.

Their website allows parents to connect with each other, tap into expert advice and find support in their role as hero to their kids.

Suspect that your child is using alcohol or drugs? Check out this link and learn how to deal with it. Lots of great resources and ideas!

http://www.drugfree.org/intervene

Alcohol and Energy Drinks= A Bad Mix

Joose and Four Loko are just a couple of the names of these popular alcoholic drinks that are flying off the shelves. They are 24 ounce cans and have about 5.6 drinks in one can. These drinks have caused a huge stir due to the amount of alcohol you get at a very cheap price. The problem is they are a huge health risk because alcohol is a depressant and the energy drink is a stimulant. These two opposite beverages in the same can causes a lot of harm to the body. Some states have already banned them and now the FDA is looking into their safety. Kansas banned them and these drinks are to not be sold anymore after December 1st. For more information click on the link below:

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/nov/22/statehouse-live-alcoholic-energy-drinks-banned-sta/

5 Way to Trick Your Teens with a Healthy Drug-Free Halloween

Here are a few tips to help your teen be drug-free and safe for Halloween!

Five Ways to Trick Your Teens with a Healthy, Drug-Free Halloween
1. Trick Them Into Talking
A) Listen First: Let teens vent, talk and not feel judged – and be sure to keep the focus on them when they are talking to you.
B) Ask The Right Questions: Instead of giving advice, ask questions. Ask them more about how they feel, what they think they should do, what others have done. Not only will you learn more about how your teen thinks, you will also help them explore their own situation.
C) Let them, or show them, how to come to their own answers: When you ask them questions, try to guide them to come up with the answer on their own, instead of you telling them what to do. That way, they will feel more empowered. They ‘own’ their solution because they came up with it. This will also help them feel closer to you. (FamilyDoctor.org)

2. Treat Yourself to Digital and Interactive Technology Interact with the latest technology, and you’ll gain a better understanding of your teen’s world. Learn to use online social networks like Facebook, blogs and status update services like Twitter. Texting your teen is a great non-confrontational way to check in, show your support and stay connected. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average amount of time young people spend consuming entertainment media is up dramatically to almost eight hours per day – that’s at least 53 hours a week of immersion in some form of media. That’s why it’s more important than ever for parents to break through the media noise and make their voices heard.

3. Trick Your Teens Into Staying Out of Trouble Encourage your teen to join a club, play a sport or do community service. This will give her something structured to do after school, and she can include her wider circle of friends in the activities. There may be lots of healthy (and cheap!) opportunities right in your community. Try getting ideas at the library, her school or your place of worship for how your teen can get actively involved in community volunteering (The Teenager’s Guide to the Real World)

4. Trick Them Into Feeling Good About Themselves Give your teen lots of praise and positive feedback. Teens need to hear the "good stuff" just like the rest of us. They need to know you can still see beyond the things they do wrong from time to time. Catch them being good and always reward positive, responsible, mature behavior to help build their own self-esteem so they make more positive choices.

5. Treat Them with Love and Support It's important that teens feel supported by their parents, so be sure to let your child know that he or she can always count on you and come to you for guidance.

• Reassure your child that she can confide in or seek advice from you when she's stressed or dealing with a personal issue.
  
• As frustrated as you may feel sometimes (let’s face it, teens know how to push our buttons), try to speak from a place of love, caring and concern – and express these feelings to your teen.
  
• Remind your teen that the reason you're always talking with her and asking questions is because you love her, care about her and want her to be healthy and successful. Have a safe, happy and healthy Halloween!

Red Ribbon Week

Do you know what Red Ribbon Week is? Have your kids been coming home talking about it, or have you been seeing things around town? Red Ribbon week is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a stand against substance abuse. Grade school through high school will usually have themed weeks with activities throughout the week. This year Red Ribbon Week runs from October 23rd-October 31st. For more information on Red Ribbon Week, go to the website below:

http://www.nfp.org/default.asp?PageNum=582

It's Never to Early

Have you talked to your kids about alcohol? It is never to early to start the talk. Kids learn earlier and earlier about alcohol. As a parent you want to make sure you talk to them about it. Even if you think they aren't listening they really are. Kids are starting to drink in middle school so the sooner you talk to them about alcohol and the consequences the better off you are. To learn more click on the link below:

http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2010/512_oct20/thisweek/101020_education.shtml

What will Teens do for Popularity?

For teenagers being popular means everything to some of them. To be popular teens will go to great limits to fit in and it includes a lot of peer pressure. Being popular leads to alcohol and drug use often times which then leads to many problems. Make sure you know where your kids are and who they are hanging out with. Make sure you are talking to your kids as well as listening to your kids. Help them to make friends but do it in the right way. For more information go to the following article:

http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2010/510_oct6/thisweek/101006_popularity.shtml

Are Your Kids Struggling With Grades?

Are your kids being distracted by facebook, tv, or the phone? Are their grades slipping due to these distractions? When grades aren't good parents should definitely address the situation but don't push them. Kids like to rebel so if is overdone they will just not do their homework at all. This article provides some tips on how to meet in the middle! For more information read below:

http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2010/508_sep22/thisweek/100922_grades.shtml