MamasHealth.com Home Children's Health Babble Talk Baby Grooming Baby Play Bed-Wetting Benefits of Playing Games Burping Childcare Childhood Obesity Children and Grief Children and Nutrition Children's Vitamins Choosing a Pediatrition Circumcision Clubfoot Colic Cradle Cap Croup Diaper Rash Ear Infections Exercise and Fitness Eye Focus Failure to Thrive Find a Pre-school Head Banging Healthy Eating Habits Hearing Loss Homesick Medicine Poisoning in children Nail and Ear Care Pediatric AIDS Poison Prevention Puberty Shaken Baby Syndrome Sibling Rivalry SIDS Speech Problems Teething Infants Toys and lead exposure Unsafe Foods Vaccinations Child Development Newborns 1 to 3 Months 4 to 7 Months 8 to 12 Months 1 year Puberty Abduction Prevention Children and Drugs Children's Education Children with disabilities Crib safety Children and Medical Technology Mentally Challenged Child Seriouslly Ill Child Email Mama Sign up for the MamasHealth Newsletter	Children and Drugs What You Can Say to Open a Discussion With Your Child About Drugs Research shows that when children have parents who are comfortable talking to them about drugs, they are less inclined to experiment with drugs. No matter how uncomfortable or inadequate a parent may feel about talking to their child about drugs, it is important to form an open line of communication with the child. Discussions about drugs should be age appropriate. Topic Starters What kinds of drugs go around your school? Are there any kids at your school who do drugs? Do the kids at school talk about drugs? When I was in school... How do you feel about drugs? If drugs are mentioned on television, ask your child if he or she knows anything about the drug is that is being discussed. If they do not, give him or her a general idea of what the drug is. If the child is older, you can get more specific. Tell the child what the drug looks like, negative side effects of the drug, what it does, and what slang terms are for the specific drug. Teach your child that it is ok to say “no” to a friend who is asking him or her to try drugs. You may want to consider role playing with your child different ways he or she can say no. This will help your child feel more confident in saying no if he or she is ever offered drugs. Children can be taught that true friends will not pressure them to do something they feel is wrong. Bring up the subject of drugs frequently. An easy way to bring up the subject of drugs is to mention something you read in the paper or heard on the news. Ask your child for his or her thoughts. Answer any questions your child may have about drugs and drug use. Discussions about drugs are imporant. Try to make sure your child is educated about the dangers of drugs and give them information about how to say no to drugs and deal with peer pressure.	Featured Book
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