Parents Hold The Key
Parents, your role today could not be more crucial. Our increasingly complicated world means incredible challenges for moms and dads, particularly those with multiple children who find it difficult to maintain a steady income for the household and make ends meet. Augmented by this need is the necessity of having both parents in the workforce, and the stress of simply providing for your family is enough to make any parent lament. However, aside from these basic duties, as parents, you find yourselves in the midst of the most crucially important aspect of parenting, which is fostering a loving and supportive homelife for your children. Indeed, experts implore that the social and emotional health of children at home are amongst the most critical factors leading to their overall health and well being, and these truths cannot be overstated when it comes to protecting children from the dangers of substance abuse and addiction.
Parents, you hold sway. In a national study completed in 2018 by the Center on Addiction, it was determined that you play a critical role for teens choosing not to drink or take drugs, as some 55.8% said that they believe the most common reason people their age choose not to engage in these behaviors is because they believe that parents would disapprove or because they do not want to get in trouble. Also, this same study found that your involvement in your children’s lives is paramount to resisting drug abuse among most teens. While these are not novel facts, it is important that you are given the opportunity to fully exercise the power you have to deter destructive decisions. Also, while there is little doubt that most parents strive to utilize everything in their arsenals to protect their children, this fact may be hindered by increasing time spent outside of the home by parents, and specific knowledge about how and what they can use may be lacking. This has to change.
Parents, you need to strike the right cord. Parent child relationships, especially throughout adolescent years can be rocky, further exacerbating the need. Teens, while becoming more independent and testing the waters in all walks of their lives, need to have the stability and comfort of a protective parent, while still maintaining their ascent into adulthood unimpeded. Parents, aware of this need, but not wanting to be too overbearing, have to strike a balance between being that stalwart figure while fostering independence and growth. It is no easy task, yet an informed parent is an effective parent.
Parents, you need to be the watchdog. The Center on Addiction’s study explored the main factors that lead to teen substance abuse: peer pressure, exposure, misinformation, and parent involvement. Of these, parents play a crucial role as watchdogs, ensuring that each factor is appropriately monitored and safeguards are in place. According to the study, teens who said they hang out with friends outside of school unsupervised at least once a week have 4.7 greater odds of having intentions to try drugs in the future than teens who do not, and teens who have personally seen drugs used illegally in real life had 3.4 times greater odds of reporting that they might or are likely to try drugs. Also, 51.8% of teens said that they would be able to get at least one illegal substance within some period of time and more teens with friends who use drugs report that their social media accounts are not monitored by their parents. And perhaps the most telling statement throughout this study is that kids who describe their relationships with their parents as “excellent” are less likely to try drugs and alcohol.
Parents, these facts could not be more clear, you need to take comprehensive and proactive steps to become involved in the lives of your children because doing so is the most powerful means of protecting them from substance abuse and addiction. According to the study by Center on Addiction, simple tasks like open and honest conversations with your kids, listening to them and understanding their feelings about their lives, tuning into their daily activities, friends, whereabouts and limiting exposure to illicit substances can mean the difference when it comes to their decision making regarding drugs and alcohol. You can take easy steps like taking the time to eat meals together, taking interest in their interests, knowing their friends, and limiting their exposure to illicit substances, both in the home as well as what they see and hear in the entertainment industry and social media. And perhaps the most important thing you can do as a parent is communicate with your children, knowing what and who is involved with their lives, setting rules and boundaries while maintaining an open, loving, healthy and nurturing environment will all help protect children from the dangers of substance abuse. The door to keeping your children drug and alcohol free can remain open, but, parents, you hold the key.