QUESTION: I want to educate my
middle school children about avoiding drugs. Is it too early?
ANSWER: It is never too early for drug
prevention. Even primary grade children benefit from learning to keep
their bodies healthy. Teaching respect for our bodies at an early
age is a protection against later drug abuse. Public school polls
reported that two-thirds of fourth graders wished their parents would
talk more to them about drugs!
Generally, when children leave primary grades, they
enter a larger, less protected school environment. Preteens are gradually
growing more independent, a process which continues through adolescence.
Toward the end of this period, children begin to make conscious decisions
about their lives. This is a critical time to develop the ability
to make healthy and informed decisions about their future.
Children are very vulnerable at this age. Those with
low self-esteem, problems at home and low academic performance in
school are most likely to begin early experimentation with drugs.
They can become easy prey to the lure of selling or using drugs. Early
experimentation, before the age of 15, is correlated with later drug
addiction.
At this age of development, kids are fascinated with
how things work. They want to know how their bodies operate. They
are curious about what happens to their bodies when drugs are ingested.
Give them the facts about drug use. Explain how anything taken to
excess -- even aspirin -- can be dangerous.
Talk to your preteens about the ways that drugs and
alcohol are promoted in the media. Use opportunities that arise, such
as song lyrics, television shows or advertising that suggests drugs,
tobacco and alcohol are glamorous. For example, the generalized use
of alcohol in many television dramas (Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal and
others) portray professionals drinking routinely as a ritualized ending
to a workday.
Point these subliminal messages out to them and separate
myth from reality. Emphasize decision making, legality and alternative
ways to relax and unwind. Look at your own styles of coping and be
willing to talk about these, too! If you have a beer or two every
evening, be willing to examine the issue. Are there other ways to
unwind?
Point out that alcohol and tobacco use are illegal
for children to protect their developing bodies. Use of alcohol and
tobacco will be a choice reserved for when they become adults.
Making a difference
The number one reason children give for not taking
drugs is that a caring adult will object! Children who have positive
and strong connections with a caretaker (parent, grandparent, aunt,
uncle or mentor) do not want to jeopardize that relationship.
Given a strong relationship with your child, the following
points will help protect your child from drug abuse:
