How to Teach Your Kids to Say "No" to Drugs and Alcohol

These days talking to your kids about drugs and alcohol is something every parent is responsible for. It comes along with raising children and protecting them. My daughter isn't old enough yet to have the talk with but my parents did with me at a young age. I feel that their feelings and actions kept me out of some dangerous situations that my peers fell into. Here are my tips for talking to your kids about drugs and alcohol.

The first thing to do is to actually sit down and have a talk with them. You may feel uncomfortable about it or not know how to approach them but you have to. It is a responsibility you owe yourself and your children to do. Let your kids know how you feel about drugs and alcohol and tell them how you feel about them using it. My parents were always very firm in expressing how disappointed they would be in me which always made me think twice when faced with temptation.

The second thing I suggest is to get your kids involved in after school activities. My parent's policy was that they didn't care what we did but we had to be involved in something. I discovered that I was good at sports at a young age so was always running from one practice to another. I didn't have any time to get into something bad for me and didn't want to jeopardize my place on the team either. Most schools require students to get good grades in order to participate on their teams. If yours don't have the grades check out your local recreation center. Most of these centers have the same teams as the school ones.

Make sure you know your children's friends. Invite them over to the house and get to know them. Establishing a bond between yourself and your children's friends will help them respect you. You also want to know who your kids are hanging out with and if you trust them to be safe with your kids.

Lastly, make sure you know the parents of your children's friends. It's important to know whose parents are home all the time and whose parents leave the house empty all the time. Also, find out how these parents feel about drugs and alcohol and how they are going to address it with their own children. I can't tell you how many stories I have heard of parents joining in or turning a blind eye to things being done under the roof of their own home.

Above all be active and honest with your children. Know them and know what they're doing. Play an active role in teaching your kids what is wrong and what is right.