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Youth surveys
reveal that the number one reason young people give for choosing not to use
alcohol or other drugs is that they do not want to disappoint their parents. As
this new year
kicks off, we encourage you to resolve to increase conversations
with your children about the
dangers of drinking, smoking and using other
drugs.
In order to
take full advantage of our parent power, we must: be informed on the issues; be
clear on where we stand when it comes to underage drinking, smoking and using
other drugs;
and we must foster and strengthen communication with our
children.
Follow
these Ten Tips to Boost Parent/Child Communication:
1. Get in the
habit of chatting about the everyday stuff with your child before jumping
into
potentially intense conversations.
2. Demonstrate
your genuine interest in what your child has to say by listening with your
full attention.
3. Be
respectful of your child’s feelings and viewpoint, even when you do not
necessarily
agree. He/she will then be much more likely to return the
favor.
4. Choose your
words carefully and be aware of your body language. If you show shock or
disgust by what your child has shared, you will have ended the
conversation.
5. Be mindful
of your tone of voice. It’s not just what we say, but how we say it.
6. Avoid
interrupting and lecturing. These are also proven conversation
busters.
7. You must
know the facts about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and share them
truthfully.
8. Skip the
scare tactics. According to prevention experts, they are not
effective.
9. Take
advantage of teachable moments: For example, you are in the car with your
child,
with the radio on. You’ve got a captive audience, so try talking
about that alcohol ad you
both just heard.
10. Last but
not least, control your emotions. If the talk gets heated and you display
anger,
your child is likely to go into fight or flight mode…neither of
which will benefit anyone.
It is
important to clearly communicate your love for your child and your desire for
him/her to
make healthy lifestyle choices. As you further establish and
strengthen the lines of
communication, your child will feel more comfortable to
share his/her feelings with you, to ask
questions, to seek your advice and
guidance and in the end, you will be helping your child to
make more positive
life decisions; like choosing not to use alcohol, tobacco or other
drugs.
Sources: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Association of School Nurses
(NASN), HealthyChildren.org. | 
