Childhood games used to just consist of friendly Go Fish and Duck, Duck, Grey Duck (yes – in the Midwest we don’t all say Goose). Today, however, parents and their kids are facing dangerous games that have real, detrimental, and sometimes deadly consequences. Have you ever heard of the Choking Game, Funky Chicken, Chubby Bunny, ABC Game, or Rape Tag? While a few of these might sound harmless to you, as a parent all of these names make me shudder. Our children are living in a world where we need to know what these games are, who is playing them, and how we can teach our children to walk away from these games that are anything but friendly.

The Choking Game

The Choking Game is pretty much what it sounds like, but it is anything but a game. Children (and adults), choke themselves or their peers until they feel lightheaded and on the verge of passing out in order to get high. When the choking pressure is released, the blood that was held back quickly floods the brain. The high they actually feel in the form of a tingly, warm, or hazy feeling is from their brain cells dying, but few adolescents who play this game know and understand the grim and dangerous facts. Kids use this technique with ropes, belts, scarves, or bare hands. Some use pressure on the chest or purposely hyperventilate in order to feel these effects.

The kids who are doing this are often typical or above average students who want the thrill of experimenting with a high but don’t want the risk of using drugs or alcohol, or think that the effects are not dangerous. Parents of children who memorialize their children on GASP (Games Adolescents Shouldn’t Play) tell vastly different stories. They tell of kids as young as 9 years of age who died from self-suffocation as they sought this brain cell killing high. Smart students with bright futures from across the globe are dying from this activity.

This dangerous game is also known as: Funky Chicken, Fainting Game, Space Monkey, Roulette, California High, Dream Game, and Airplaning. Some of the warning signs include abrasions on the neck, headaches, bloodshot eyes, attempts to hide the neck with clothing, and agitation or mood changes. A child’s body can in essence become addicted to the high feeling that this dangerous game elicits, so while they may begin playing it with peers for a social rush, they can end up playing it alone – an even deadlier decision.

I urge all parents and children to watch the chilling video online put out by GASP. My own 13 year-old had heard of the game from news reports, but didn’t have all of the facts. The video includes a heart-wrenching audio of an actual 911 call made by a sibling who found his twin after inadvertently hanging himself after playing this game, and is directed at teaching children and their parents about this very dangerous trend.

Other Games I Hope My Children Never Play

Chubby Bunny

While the Choking Game is an obvious danger to our kids, other seemingly harmless games have also cost parents their children. The game Chubby Bunny, where players must gradually place increasing amounts of marshmallows (or as my son informed me, Peeps) into their mouths and say the words “Chubby Bunny”, is a choking hazard. The Fish family knows all too well this danger. Their 6^th grade daughter died after choking during this game at a school carnival. We all know stuffing things in our mouths isn’t the safest approach, but the hidden danger is that when marshmallows are used they tend to heat up in the mouth, sometimes almost expanding, and become a gooey consistency that just can’t be removed with the Heimlich remover.

While this isn’t a game that kills children at the rates of the Choking Game, it is one more example of the type of activities that we as parents need to forewarn our children about and give them the correct information and details.

The ABC Game

Sounds fun and innocent, right? In fact, I recently played a version of this with other families around the bonfire in our backyard. The big difference is that our version didn’t involve incessantly scratching the players with our fingernails.

The ABC Game consists of players taking turns naming objects that begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet. The catch is that the kids are scratching the letters of the alphabet into each other’s arms as they go through the game, seeing how far they can go. Not only is the scratching painful, but it can lead to potentially fatal skin infections, as was this case with a 14 year old girl who contracted necrotizing fasciitis and almost lost her life.

Rape Tag

The name alone makes me cringe. Rape Tag is one of those instances where kids just don’t have the maturity to understand the potential consequences of their actions, and where adults need to make sure they are paying attention and making sure these things don’t happen. Just recently a group of young students were found to be playing Rape Tag on the school playground. It is much like Freeze Tag, but instead of a casual “tag”, students were making sexual gestures to release players from their frozen tag state.

We can’t safeguard our children from everything, and we can’t keep them in bubbles of security. I’ve watched my children get sports injuries, had one with a walking cast after getting  stepped on by a horse, and even had one take a stick to the eye falling while tree climbing. I know that there are dangers everywhere for our children. I also know that there are some dangers we can do our best to help them avoid, especially when they aren’t even aware that the game is not really a game at all.

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Teenagers grow up quickly enough as it is, and then suddenly they are living much more independent lives with cars keys in hand. As worried as I am about my daughter every time she drives away, I am confident that her preparation was sound, both in driving classes and life experiences, and that my worries can further be eased by implementing a few more driver safety guidelines in our family.

Driver Education

Even though we homeschool, I readily put the responsibility and trust in another source to teach my daughter about the rules of the road from a technical standpoint. My children are probably pretty typical – they are sometimes more apt to listen and less apt to insert their own versions when they are listening to someone other than me – the mom. I wanted her to hear from police officers about road laws and safety. I wanted her to watch the videos that showed the real and immense dangers of car crashes. Yes – I wanted her scared – to a certain point.

If your teenager is ready for driver education, consider the following:

Your own driving – I have never been more conscious of my own driving than when I knew my daughter was paying close attention to my every move. No cell phone use for me and no speeding (even when I felt like I was at a snail’s pace). I even found myself talking out loud about why I made certain driving decisions – such as why I didn’t pass the farm machinery that was making us late.

Cost – Shop around, both for school programs, home programs, and accredited programs in your community. In our area the costs were about equal.

Training – While the costs might have been relatively the same, the experiences of the trainers were vastly different. In the school settings sometimes the driving instructor doubles as the gym coach, and is not a dedicated professional to this specific course. Then there was me – a newbie. For us the formal driving school offered the most experienced staff, and the best 1:1 ratio of learning (outside of home).

Reputation – Talk to other parents and listen to their experiences. We had several formal programs from which to choose, and by far the one we selected had the best reviews.

Driving Apps – Our daughter is using a pretty cool program from State Farm. One portion of it is a paper log the new driver completes with the participation of at least one parent that can later be used to receive insurance deductions. The other part, an app she has on her iPod, records things like acceleration, cornering, and time spent driving. I get a report emailed to me after her trips. Our daughter appreciated the feedback, especially since she doesn’t always have an adult with her for guidance. We appreciate the extra monitoring so we know how things are progressing for her with the newfound independence.

Driving Practice

The first time my daughter drove with her permit, I felt like my mom. My invisible gas and brake pedals on the passenger side were fully engaged as she drove. Even though at first I wished I could close my eyes, I was able to relax myself enough to be the calm, nurturing driving instructor seated next to her. Fortunately for both of us, she is a very cautious driver (maybe those videos helped do the trick!). For more than 6 months we practiced (yes – I needed to practice giving up my invisible pedals).

Start small – The first places our daughter drove with her permit were country back roads with little or no traffic. It is enough for them to get the feel of the wheel; they don’t need rush hour to add to the pressure.

Be calm – I admit that the first few times on the road I opted for my husband to sit next to my daughter in the front seat, leading her way. I managed not to be a backseat driver (but I had my eyes closed a few times).

Gradually add in experiences – We moved from back road driving to city driving, but made sure that we eased into it during times of low-traffic levels. She didn’t practice driving at night for the first few weeks, either. We also eased in winter driving – a Midwest treat with icy and snowy roads.

The sound of silence – She had 3 younger brothers along for many of the rides, but we implemented a low-noise rule when she drives. No or low radio, and no or low sounds from brothers. She’ll have plenty of years to drive with distractions being thrown at her.

Constructive criticism – There were times when my daughter needed gentle reminders or clarifications while driving. I made every effort to deliver these is a quiet tone. Sometimes I waited until she finished driving to go over decisions she made so as not to distract her from her driving.

Affirmation – I will never forget the day we were cruising along at 55 mph with my teen at the wheel. Another driver pulled out directly in front of us to cross the road. My daughter slammed on the brakes, very aware of the situation, even managing to check her review mirror to see if we were in danger from being hit from behind for such an abrupt change of speed. Things went flying off of van seats, but my daughter’s cool remained intact. We narrowly avoided a crash. I gave my child affirmation that she did everything right, and praised her quick actions and choices. As frightening as it was, it gave us a great opportunity to talk about how distracted driving can quickly change things, and you have to be just as concerned about the other drivers. If she had been using a cell phone or otherwise distracted, her reactions would not have been so quick.

More Ways to Prepare My Teenager Driver

As my daughter took the keys for her first time alone, suddenly knowing the road rules weren’t enough. I tried to make sure that she was prepared for anything and everything, and I included the more obvious rules. As she smiled and half-laughed at my mothering, I told her that if she gets to use the car, I get to pretend to be my mom once again!

• No cell phones – at all.
• You must only drive to the destinations we have discussed (today was school, church, and home).
• Upon your arrival you need to text me, and do so again before you leave your destination, and again when you arrive. Basically be your own GPS.
• You may not give a ride to anyone.
• If you are worried you are being followed, drive to a crowded destination with lots of people outside.
• Park under a street light or in a well-lit area, especially if it will be twilight or dark when you enter or exit your car.
• Always lock your car – preferably without leaving the keys in it.
• Always have back-up cash for emergencies.
• Know how to fill the car with gas – and don’t leave it on empty for me!
• When you walk to and from your car, pay attention to your surroundings and keep your keys in your hand (they double as a weapon if needed).
• Come back home. We love you aren’t quite ready for you to let your wings take you too far.

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One of the most frustrating thing as a parent can be to hear your child tell you “No!” for various reasons, and it begins almost as soon as they can speak. We also probably wear on their nerves as we tell them “No” for so many things in life. No – you can’t cut your own hair. No – please don’t smear your banana in my hair. No – we aren’t watching that cartoon for the 29^th time.

Life can build as a battle of wills, with both parents and children duking it out with this one, simple word. Despite how frustrating it can be to hear my child tell me, “no”, the older they become they more I know that it is really important that they be able to use this word well. In fact, I hope they learn how to say “no” better than I ever did.

Why is it good for our kids to say no?

It is not something we necessarily want our kids to say to us when we ask them to do their chores or tell them it is time to leave the park. However, our kids will encounter so many situations in life where they will need the confidence and capability to say no.

Refusal skills are valuable tools for children (and everyone) to learn. A good perspective on this matter comes from Dr. Sears when he says that, “It’s necessary for a parent to say “no” to a child so the child can later say “no” to himself.” Beyond being able to regulate our own actions and words, no becomes an assertive tool our children can use to develop independence, security, and strength.

Maintain identity. The world around us and our children asks things of us – to do things, participate in activities, and make choices. When our kids have the confidence to say no, they are more capable of maintaining their identity, their personal preferences, and their true opinions. They learn to say yes to things that they value, and are able to say no when it is not right in their hearts.

Improve self-image. No really is a powerful word, and being able to stand up for yourself and your own beliefs can improve your self-image. I’ve seen my children assert their own beliefs with the word no, and doing so respectfully and confidently can help build a positive self-image. It gives them a sense of independence and that they are capable of making good decisions.

Protect their personal space. It is so important to me that my kids learn to define their personal boundaries – both physically and emotionally. While it can be more comfortable to say yes and avoid confrontation or feel like you are letting down someone, often we give up some of our personal space in return. I want my children to have people and opportunities in their lives because they choose them to be there, not because they were too intimidated to say no to them.

Protect their personal safety. This is obviously an important issue for parents and children. We must teach them to say (and scream) No! if their safety or security is ever threatened. No parent wants to imagine their child being physically or sexually abused. We need to empower them to say no, repeatedly, and to combine that No! with strong body language (kicking, thrashing, drawing attention to the situation).

How do I help my child learn to say no?

Keep a balance. In order for your child to understand the power of the words yes and no, make sure that they are used in balance within the home so they don’t lose their significance. If we overuse “no” with our children they begin to see it as a barrier word, instead of an empowering tool in communication.

Allow for their opinions. When our kids say no to us, we might not want to hear it, but we need to respect their opinions whenever possible. If they are able to express their opposing opinions to us in respectful ways and they get positive feedback from us, it teaches them how to their own ideas with respect and confidence.

Teach non-verbal communication skills. Model good non-verbal communication skills such as maintaining eye contact and using appropriate body language. Eye contact is a powerful tool, and kids can learn to match their “no” with shaking the head and facial expressions that match the language.

Teach them to say more than “no”. Even though no is a clear and simple word, sometimes it is just not enough for some people. Teach your child about saying no and expanding it with their reasons why. “No, I’m not going to skip class because I don’t want to lose my spot on the basketball team and I know my parents will not be happy with that choice.”

Role play. There are certain situations we hope our children never face, but we need to prepare them for those anyway. Role play things like situations of peer pressure. While this can be uncomfortable, it is even more uncomfortable for your child when she is actually faced with these situations and saying “no” seems a lot harder than it sounds.

I’d be a rich woman if I had a penny for every time my kids said “no” to me. It may not be my favorite part of any conversation, but I know that they will be rich in confidence, security, and self-worth when they are able to voice their own opinions and needs – even if it means saying “no”.

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Getting kids ready for the day, especially school days, can be like swimming through oatmeal – you keep plowing through, but feel like you are getting sucked back into the mess. Even though we homeschool, our oldest attends college 5 days a week and we still must have a routine in our house for mornings in order to get where we need to be and accomplish our goals. Over the years I have developed a strategy for getting everyone in the house going each morning, and it finally doesn’t just hinge on me being the lead swimmer! Morning routines are so much smoother when everyone plays a responsible part.

1. Put the kids in charge of themselves. As long as I kept pleading with them to get out of bed, begging for some sign of life, they were very comfortable letting me waste my time in the morning acting as their human snooze buttons. Kids know how to work us. If we offer ourselves as their servants in the morning – getting them out of bed, preparing their breakfasts, and readying them for the day – they will use our free labor. They don’t do this because they are cruel creatures, but because this is what we are teaching them to do.

We have to make them responsible for their mornings. I give my kids one wake-up call if their alarms or internal clocks don’t do the job. Sometimes they have had to pay the price for sleeping through all of these options, such as arriving late to class. Your kids might have to serve detention for tardiness in school. These are real consequences that do help teach kids. When they are adults their bosses won’t call them and provide repeated wake-up services, so we only do them a disservice when we take away that opportunity when they are younger to learn how to ready themselves for the day. If their being late impacts you (you are late for work), pass on those consequences to them, such as an extra hour of chores for every 30 minutes you were late.

2. Set them up for success. Yes – kids need to be responsible for getting themselves ready, but you can increase their possibilities for success by giving them the tools to reach it.

• Make sure they have good alarm clocks, and maybe make sure they have more than one. When I first married my husband he had a jeep speaker hooked up to his alarm clock, set on the other side of the room!
• Help them plan out their evening before, as well as their mornings. Sometimes kids run so late because they don’t have realistic expectations about things that need to happen.
• Limit distractions. In our house the computer, cell phones, and iPods are the biggest distractions in the morning, where everyone wants to check in with friends to see what they might have missed overnight. We have a rule that this can’t be done until the kids are ready for the day. It motivates them, helps them stay on task, and keeps me from going insane!
• Keep routines routine. They can’t plan for their morning goals and meet them if you keep changing the bar. If you always need to leave at 7:45, don’t randomly expect them to be ready at 7:30 one day because you have a meeting. Forewarning the night before is best in these situations.

3. Don’t underestimate the power of sleep routines. Make sure you understand how much sleep your kids need, for their ages, their activity levels, and their personal health needs. Teenagers might be harder to wake in the morning, but that is because their natural internal clocks aren’t letting them fall asleep as easily. Especially in homes with several children, make sure all of their needs are addressed.

• It can seem tedious, but stagger bedtimes if that is what is needed to give everyone the rest they need.
• Make sure that those kids who are still awake later in the evening respect the sleep needs and habits of those who are already snoring.
• Create effective sleeping arrangements in your home – lights dimmed, sounds low, temperatures regulated.

4. Start your morning routine the night before. One of the most effective ways I have been able to ease our morning chaos is to have the kids do as much as possible the night before.

• Make a list of the last-minute items needed in the morning
• Pack lunches
• Get backpacks ready with homework and papers signed
• Shower or bathe the night before
• Set clothes and other basics out the night before
• Review with everyone else in the family what the plan is for the following day, especially the morning, if there are new kinks in the routine

5. Consider behavior modification charts. At younger ages the kids in my home always seem to wake up easier, but have a more challenging time remembering everything they need to do in order to be ready for the day on time. We have used behavior charts and chore charts to help them become more independent in the morning and to take the extra “reminding” burden from my shoulders. Depending on their ages a morning routine chart can include things like this:

• Feed pets
• Get dressed
• Make bed
• Eat breakfast
• Brush teeth
• Wash face
• Anything else they need to do before heading out the door or starting their day

The days start early in our home with a 4:15 wake-up alarm for my husband. It is a domino effect after that, with him waking me just before he leaves (he likes his solitude in the kitchen each morning to make his own breakfast and lunch for the day – I distract him too much!). Then the kids are in charge of themselves after that. Yes – some mornings like today I did a door knocking reminder as time seemed to be slipping by, but all 4 children were able to feed themselves, do their chores, and get ready for the day without much harassing from me. They are able to, because they need to do it. Necessity is a wonderful teacher for us all.

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Yes – I’m a type A personality planner and list-maker. My natural tendency is to make a plan and a list of the things that I need to do in order to accomplish my goals, sometimes just a collection of mental calculations and supplies needed. Even if you are far from a list-maker and traditional planner, parenting plans are wonderful ways to build strong relationships with your children, and help to understand yourself as a person even better. I’m not asking you to draw up a formal contract with yourself, but just consider a few of the basic ideas for a parenting plan.

What is a parenting plan?

A parenting plan is a personal roadmap for you as a parent, developed by you to meet the individual and specific goals of your family. It will help you determine what type of relationship you want with your children, how you hope to help them grow, and specifically what you can do to make those things happen.

It is never too late for a parenting plan.

Whether you are just considering starting a family, are new parents to a precious baby, or are moving through tween years, now is the time for a parenting plan.

Learn as much as you can about parenting styles.

I’m not going to tell you to choose just one specific parenting style. Every child is unique, and parenting styles need to be positive approaches that work for both you and your children. Some of the parenting styles that you might encounter as you develop your plan include:

• Emotion Coaching
• Parenting for Success
• Christian Parenting
• Unconditional Parenting
• And more!

There is no one right and perfect parenting style, as there is no one right and perfect parent. Sometimes I find myself using certain strategies from one style, but pulling from others in different situations with my children. It is important, however, to remain consistent with your children as they thrive on trusting you and knowing what to expect from your relationship. If you think you are hearing or reading about a parenting style that seems to “click” with you, ask yourself if the methods involved will help you reach your family’s goals.

Make goals.

These goals should be both long-term and short-term, and can include everything from helping your baby learn how to sleep peacefully at night to raising a daughter into a young woman who isn’t afraid of challenges. Brainstorm ideas on any conceivable parenting issue you can imagine:

• Sleep – Co-sleeping, child-directed sleep patterns, and more options await parents. Some parents choose methods and work to find ways to meet these goals, and sometimes there aren’t any goals other than to get some sleep at night!
• Discipline methods – I knew right away I didn’t want to spank my kids, but I still needed to find discipline methods that worked and meshed with my other goals.
• Education – We homeschool, but that wasn’t in our original plans. We had to make sure homeschooling helped us to reach the other goals we had for our children. In our first discussions about it we wondered how we would be able to help our children grow to be outgrowing, independent, confident people if what we heard about the stereotypes of homeschooling were true – thank goodness those stereotypes were wrong!
• So many more options – the list is infinite what you might include for parenting issues, and these issues will change along the way.

Envision reaching your parenting goals.

What do you think it will feel like to reach your goals? If the goal is having your child sleep through the night, 7 hours of slumber can make you feel wonderful! However, if you and your child have to get there by spending 3 months of agony through trying “crying it out” methods, how will reaching your goals feel compared to if you could have achieved it with less stress? What will be the long-term results of using this method?

Work with your partner.

Have you ever tried to walk against a strong current? That is what it can feel like if you aren’t working together with your child’s other parent (whether married, divorced, or sharing custody). Raising children requires teamwork, and wonderfully effective parenting demands a united front from parents. Even if you have the same goals, it can be impossible to reach those if you are aren’t using the same methods – remember – kids need consistency.

Don’t be afraid to change your plans.

Families are unique and we need to honor our individual needs and goals. Some of my personal parenting goals, such as raising emotionally connected sons and an independent daughter do not waiver on my importance scale. Other goals, however, have changed. Before I became a mom, the only consideration I gave homeschooling was a negative one, but now we find it to be one of the best things about our family. When you give yourself room to change with your family, you acknowledge that we all, even parents, have learning and growing to do still.

A glimpse at my plan

This is in no way a complete vision of my parenting plan, but it will give you an idea of how a parenting plan looks.

Goal: Raise children who value learning and understand how to find information and enlighten themselves and others.

Methods:

• Use ideas from Emotion Coaching and Parenting for Success to make sure that I meld the emotional and the intellectual aspects – they can’t operate well apart.
• Don’t do things for my children that they can do themselves because it will take away their confidence and initiative.
• Homeschool as long as it works for us. This lets our kids have self-direction in their education.
• Work with my kids to help them identify their passions and talents and find ways to pursue those (classes, coaches, job shadowing, curriculum, etc.).

This is just a small portion of even this one goal in my own personal parenting journey. Some of my goals are much smaller, such getting the two older children not to bicker over who gets to sit in the front seat, while some of them are more monumental on ongoing, such as raising children who are compassionate and capable of recognizing and apologizing for the wrongs they do (a wonderful family goal).

If we don’t know what we want, need, and hope for our children, how can we know how to parent effectively? If you haven’t given it much thought, no matter how old your children are, just try to develop a parenting plan that speaks to the heart of your family. When we do this as parents, we give a gift to our children, but also to ourselves.

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Yesterday I wrote about the risk factors our kids face when it comes to substance abuse, and how drugs don’t care if our kids are on the honor roll or are star baseball players, and today I share some of the ways that parents can teach themselves about drug abuse and give their kids tools to stay safe. The wonderful side effect of parenting in a proactive and positive way is that when we give our kids skills to make good decisions, those tools often spill over into other areas of their lives.

Talking with our kids about drugs begins with a little “schooling” for parents about the kinds of drugs that pose risks for our kids. Some of them you will probably recognize, but others might surprise you.

Gateway Drugs

Gateway drugs are not only plaguing the children in our communities, but they are even easier to access than before. They are inexpensive and often right in our own homes, and unfortunately our kids sometimes think that if we can buy them at the grocery store, that they can’t be that bad. If you think there is no way your kids have access to things that are considered gateways drugs, look around your home and see if you have any of the following.

• Glue
• Aerosol cans of paint, hairspray, deodorant, or even whipping cream
• Paint thinner
• Prescriptions medications
• Cold medications
• Alcohol
• Nail polish remover

Kids are learning how about huffing (getting high from aerosol fumes) from online tutorials and friends, and they have instant access to recipes for “home-grown” highs at the family computer. These are for the most part legal substances that kids have learned how to use to get high, and they don’t cost much more than a can of soda. Huffing involves inhaling the chemical vapors, actually depriving the brain of oxygen. They can lose consciousness, coordination, and have strokes or cardiac arrest. Then why do they do it? The high it gives as it destroys brain cells gives them a “funny feeling” and often peer pressure and reactions contribute to this epidemic.

Kids also have increased access to prescription drugs, and some kids even have their own prescriptions for anything from antidepressants to painkillers. Statistics are clear that whether kids “borrow” pills from parents or grandparents or take more than the recommended amount of their own, that the effects can be devastating.

Street Drugs

It doesn’t have to be the plastic bag filled with white powder from the movie scene because street drugs are available worldwide, in all kinds of neighborhoods. Some street drugs are as inexpensive as a drive-thru meal. It really is important to know what kinds of drugs your kids might hear about, see, or unfortunately, be offered, at some point in their lives. If you don’t know what the drug is or does to the body, you can’t teach your kids about those dangers. Find some resources and learn more about what your kids face – below is just an eye-opening start.

• Marijuana (pot, refer, weed, grass, hashish, etc.) is most often smoked in joints, pipes (bowls), or through water pipes (bongs). The high gives users a false sense of happiness, but also comes with loss of coordination, memory problems, and generalized confusion.
• Cocaine (from the leaves of the coca plant) is one of the most addictive street drugs known. Its high stimulates the pleasure center of the brain, but this false sense of joy means that users can no longer find joy in things they once did. Maybe it is the football star who no longer cares about sports, or the student who doesn’t dream about college anymore, and it can cause heart attacks and seizures, even in children.
• Crack comes from cocaine that has been processed for smoking. It is dangerously and instantly addictive, making the user constantly seek out that high again.
• Methamphetamines are stimulants that include meth, speed, uppers, ice, and more. Kids most often use these for appetite suppressants and to feel energized. Meth highs can give kids who are under school and life pressures the feeling that they can accomplish anything, but what they really are getting is brain damage.

This list is far from complete, but it gives you an idea of some of the drugs that are available all too often. More importantly, kids need the tools that will help them lead lives where they won’t feel the need to turn to these drugs.

How do I talk with my child about drugs?

Like the other awkward conversations parents dread (or don’t think they need to have), talking with kids about substance abuse needs to be more than a “one-shot” deal. The conversations should be ongoing and involve both talking and listening by parents.

Communicate – If you haven’t already developed good communication skills with your child, the time is now to start. Keep your voice calm, your questions non-confrontational, and your judgments reserved.

Build Trust – When it comes to talking with kids about things like drugs, it is imperative that kids feel they can trust their parents. We can’t create that trust if we jump to conclusions or throw threats and punishments around. Yes – kids need to earn trust, but they can’t do that if we don’t give them opportunities to do so.

Know Their Lives – Understanding teens’ friends, school activities, and extracurricular functions is mandatory. Parents don’t need to be spying shadows, but they should know who their kids hang out with and where they go after school. To really know their lives, parents need to participate in the lives of their kids – as much as possible.

Be Real – Let kids know the true facts in non-accusatory ways. Teens often think their parents are clueless, but if you let them know that you know about the dangers of crank and ecstasy, they know that you’ve done your homework.

Use Opportunities – Watch television and movies with your kids or listen to their music, and you’re bound to hear about or see drug use portrayed. Talk about the scenes or the lyrics and create an open dialogue. If your child ever mentions a friend or someone from school in the context of drugs, don’t jump to conclusions and go over-protective-parent-ninja. Embrace the trust your teen has placed in you and calmly talk with them about the situation.

• Encourage sports or physical activity to reduce stress and provide positive outlets for energy.
• Be an active listener when kids are feeling stressed or frustrated.
• Don’t ignore pleas for help with bullying and other social issues and brush them off as “phases” – these can lead to depression, anxiety, and teens giving into peer pressure.
• Help kids find opportunities for safe and responsible fun – even if that means hosting teenage parties (I have survived these and you will, too!).
• Encourage hobbies for your kids for outlets for stress, anxiety, and a break from life stresses.
• Volunteer with your kids. Helping others who have gone through struggles is a great way to remind kids about values in their own lives.
• Keep your child up to date on health check-ups. Healthy kids are less likely to feel the need for drug use, and doctors can help monitor for things like weight loss and depression.

Parenting is not easy. Considering our children and drug use in the same breath is painful and uncomfortable. The alternatives, however, are so much worse. Take the time today to build healthy relationships with your kids.

Related posts:

1. A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Kids about Drugs
2. Talking with Your Teenager’s Friends
3. Talking To Toddlers Review

I grew up in the era where just say no was the policy response taught to children about drug use, and I grew up in a culture and community where a “druggie” was considered the guy who skipped classes to smoke a cigarette across the street. Now I am raising children where drug use is an undertone in movies, drug abuse makes for common reality television programming, and there really is not a community safe from drug abuse anymore.

So, how does a mom who grew up in a time and place where parents didn’t really worry about drug use teach her kids to make responsible, safe choices? I admit that I came into this a little green. Fortunately I have been able to develop very open relationships with my children, and feel that our communication and participation levels are amazing (considering two are teenagers). However, I know that this can’t be a fool-proof safeguard, especially as they spread their wings more every day.

Recently I worked on a technical writing assignment for a production company that opened my eyes even more to the world our kids face, specifically with the dangers of drugs. I learned about typical kids, coming from typical families, who made one wrong turn – they just tried drugs. That wrong turn can mean all of the difference in the world. As parents we need to first educate ourselves, before we can lead our children. My education came in the form of a work assignment, but I was so touched by what I read and saw that I wanted to make sure that I shared it with other parents.

Parent Education

It starts with research and developing or relying on a parenting style that creates a harmonious and healthy family. Research does show that parents who are actively engaged in their children’s lives and use positive and nurturing approaches with their children are more likely to raise children who do not succumb to drug abuse. Parenting styles that are based on ideas of emotion coaching and parenting for success are really important for laying the groundwork needed for strong relationships with tweens and teens.

If kids don’t feel they can come to parents with stressful situations, bullying, peer issues, and health concerns, it is even more unlikely that they will feel they can come to parents about issues such as sex and drugs (those two big things that parents and kids seem to have the most difficulty discussing). By the same token, parents who are uninvolved and extremely permissive are at more risk of having children who are willing to experiment with drugs.

We can tell our kids – Don’t use drugs! – but that doesn’t really tell them what we mean by drugs, what drugs look like, how they affect a person, and how they affect lives. It also doesn’t acknowledge the truths about why kids experiment with drugs, and unfortunately, become addicted to them.

Why Do Kids Use Drugs?

There are no formal checklists of finite reasons why kids begin experimenting with drugs, but there are several risk factors that kids face, and it isn’t necessarily about what kind of neighborhood you live in or the schools your kids attend. The high that kids seek really comes in two parts. The first is the high of the risk-taking that we know teen’s brains often have difficulty processing. The second is the physical high that the brain and body experiences because of the drug. Unfortunately, for many addictive drugs, it only takes one time to train the brain to seek out a repeat high.

One parent who watched her child go through drug addiction spoke eloquently about the veracity of drugs. The drugs don’t care about the car she drives as a mom, the house the family lives in, the grades on the transcript, or the clothes that hang in the closet. The drug knows nothing different from the teen who lives in the modest two-story home when compared with the teen who lives in a neglected apartment building in an even more neglected part of town. We have to be so extremely careful not to lull ourselves into complacency as parents, and become truly aware of the risk factors for our kids that go beyond the neighborhoods.

Peer pressure – the more obvious and long-standing reason is still a factor. Kids who have friends who experiment with drugs are more likely to try drugs themselves.

Academic pressure – as kids are facing mounting academic pressures they are also learning that stimulants (such as speed) can make them feel like they have limitless energy to accomplish all of the tasks before them.

Family stress – including things like divorce, illness, job losses for parents, and more can all negatively affect children and sometimes increase the likelihood that they would take risks to relieve those pressures that make them feel helpless.

Health problems – including depression, but also things like sports injuries can turn kids to gateway drugs like prescription pain killers.

Puberty – the one factor you really can’t influence. Puberty means that kids are going through enormous physical, psychological, and hormonal changes. The immaturity of the brain functions sometimes simply do not support sound, responsible decision making in kids. Where drug use is concerned, sometimes one mistake is one mistake too many.

How Can I Talk with My Child About Substance Abuse?

There are a few conversations many parents feel at least slightly uncomfortable about having with their children. None of our kids are immune to the effects of drugs, or the pressures that might make them more likely to experiment with drugs.

In tomorrow’s post I’ll explore more on the following:

• What drugs do I need to worry about with my kids?
• How will substance abuse affect our family?
• How can I give my kids the tools they need to make safe, responsible choices?

Please join me in this important discussion – our kids need us to be involved and informed.

Related posts:

1. Talking With Your Kids About Drugs
2. Talking with Your Teenager’s Friends
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According to numbers released by the National Sleep Foundation, as few as 15% of teens are getting even 8.5 hours of sleep each night, when at minimum they should really be getting at least 9.25 hours each night. On school nights these hours of rest are even more important.

Why do teens have such crazy sleeping patterns?

I remember well the years of staying up late, loving to sleep later, yet also seeming to run through life on limited sleep. I also participated in a research project on circadian rhythms, those natural tendencies our bodies have to adjust to sleeping and waking cycles. The biological changes that teenagers go through bring about changes in their sleep patterns. It is typical and natural for teens to shift their sleeping habits to later bedtimes, often not falling asleep before 11:00 pm. When teens have to be at school and functioning by 7:00 or so, it is easy to see why they are tired and resist waking in the morning.

Another habit that tends to add to the poor sleep habits of teens is that they often stay up even later on weekends and sleep later in the morning. Their bodies simply don’t have enough time to adjust to these different sleep patterns.

Why is sleep important for teens?

• Rest is needed for keeping up with the demands of academics and sports.
• Sleep deprivation can be a risk for teens who are driving or working at part-time jobs and might be more inclined to fall asleep behind the wheel or while doing a work-related task.
• Poor sleep habits contribute to things like depression and anxiety.
• Unhealthy sleep habits contribute to skin problems like acne.
• Teens are already dealing with surging hormones, and sleep disruptions can make them even more prone to outbursts and frustrations that they don’t deal with well.

How can parents help their teens get better sleep?

Now that I have 2 teenagers in the house adequate sleep is even more of a priority. As a parent I know the demands that their lives have and how important sleep is, but I need to do more than just nag them to go to bed. We have instituted some practices that help them keep reasonable bedtimes, allow for them to still be independent (not many teens want to be tucked in with a story at 8 pm), and have enough energy and enthusiasm for life the next day.

Make a sleep record. Work with your teen to determine how much sleep is actually accrued each night, and what the habits are in the 3 hours before falling asleep. This information will help both of you find ways to improve those numbers.

Prioritize the evening. Homework is definitely an issue for our oldest who is in college. Studies come first, but she can intersperse those with chatting with friends, hanging out with family, or just veg’ing on the couch. Those things that require the most mental and physical energy come first. It helps to set the tone for the evening into a natural slow-down.

Gradually reduce electronics. Between the television, video games, cell phones, iPods, and computers, it is unrealistic to think that teens can have access to all of those right up until they fall asleep and not be interrupted by their blinks, beeps, and constant updates. By about 10:00 we have all of the main lights in the house turned off, and our teens know that they need to limit their technology – laptops only for homework and televisions off. Our sons like to fall asleep listening to the radio or books on CD, but the volume must be low and not distracting others.

Create a cozy room. Warm, comfortable bedrooms are more likely to help teens fall asleep. Help your child create an environment that comforts him and helps him relax. This could include window blinds that block glares from outdoor lights, cozy bedding, options for light music, or scents like lavender.

Make it a habit. In our home the habits are most important. Even our dog knows when it is time to go to bed, just by the adjustments in surroundings. Each night our kids have routines, everything from standard teeth brushing to snuggling with pets. Establishing routines helps signal the brain that it is time to slow-down and prepare for sleep.

Don’t forget about food and nutrition. The foods and beverages your teen chooses will also likely impact their sleep habits in some way. Caffeine, sugars, and carbohydrates can influence the energy levels your kids experience. When you create a sleep record with them, include their foods, especially those they eat from supper and beyond. Also consider what they are eating throughout the day. My daughter feels most tired in the early afternoon, so we are adjusting her lunch to compensate for her sleepy feelings right when she needs to be alert in classes – fewer carbs and more fruits and veggies.

Be ready for the morning. Mornings just aren’t pretty things for most teens. In order to make the morning less chaotic, we make sure our kids plan ahead the night before so they aren’t scattered the next day. They also have morning routines and know how long it will take to get things done before they are ready for school. Just as we have a technology wind-down at night, we have a slow-start policy for them for the morning. Until their chores are complete and they are ready for school they can’t be checking out Facebook or catching up on emails. Those activities just suck them in and they lose track of time, and don’t help them get energized for the day.

I’m realistic enough to know that telling a teen to go to bed at 9:00 pm will be about as successful as telling a toddler to read himself a bedtime story. Instead of arguing over the biological inevitable, I need to focus on helping my teens adjust their habits so that they can get as much sleep as possible, and get it consistently. I at least know that when I also hear my daughter’s cell phone (the one she must have pushed out from under her pillows in the middle of the night) vibrate through the ceiling above me that she is ignoring that tone as well as my own calls for her to (in my mother’s words), “Rise and shine!”

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3. Warning Signs For Anorexia in Teens

The 3 boys had just finished cleaning their room and I asked my youngest to vacuum the carpet. He willingly grabbed the central vacuum and began, but started shouting over the hum how amazing it was that it was self-propelled. It was when he yelled, “This is so cool! Why didn’t you show me how to do this before?” that I realized my serious errors. I had no good answer for him, other than that I am probably using too much of a top-down approach when it comes to the expectations and activities I give my children (and that sounds too boring to tell him). It is not that he was just sitting around and not helping - I admit I was probably choosing easier tasks for the younger siblings.

Can We Spoil Our Children?

Yes. I am not referring to the pampered, indulged child who receives everything she asks for before she even asks. I am talking about spoiling our children, particularly the younger ones, because we fail to acknowledge all of their capabilities in light of other siblings in the home. We spoil for them the opportunities to shine and try new challenges.

I think it might be an automatic response to give older children the more complicated or time consuming responsibilities, but I think it is a disservice to fall prey to the age game. It is one of the dangers of the sibling effects that are written about and studied. While I don’t buy into all of the theories about birth order, I do see how birth order can impact development, experiences, and world-perspectives. Now I am making more efforts to be certain that my youngest, or any of my children for that matter, aren’t given experiences based on the pecking order in the house.

What does birth order have to do with it?

Authors on the topic of birth order claim that children are almost destined to develop certain characteristics based on their birth order. Dr. Leman also discusses the differences between calendar birth order and psychological birth order.

If we believe birth order theory proponents, the youngest children have great people skills, are very social, and are risk takers. They also fear rejection and are more likely to be self-centered than their older siblings. These characteristics of fear of rejection and ego-centered behaviors are what I find dangerous possibilities when using a top-down approach in parenting. Who can blame our kids if they grow up to feel inadequate or feel they don’t have to do the same as others around them if we don’t give them the opportunities to try?

How can we make sure we don’t spoil opportunities for our kids?

I have been giving this idea much thought and energy recently and working to implement a different approach in our home that doesn’t rely on older, stronger, or more experienced as factors for assigning chores or offering opportunities.

• Make certain that opportunities are available for everyone – and yes, vacuuming is an opportunity.
• Refrain from going for the easy fix. Yes, it would be faster and I might feel safer about cleaning supplies being used if the two older kids cleaned the kids’ bathroom, but there really is no legitimate reason why the younger two can’t share in the duty equally.
• Ask the kids what they want to do, and do it in no particular order each time. Everyone gets a voice and gets their fair share.
• Remind myself of the differences between fair and equal.
• Let the younger kids teach the older kids. This can be a board game, sport, or how to make a special dessert. Putting the youngest in the driver seat builds self-confidence and independence.

My new goals are derived from looking at the activities from a different approach – to give responsibilities that are challenging to my younger children, even if that means the teenagers don’t have to do much that particular time. This is not in an effort to give an easy ride to the older kids, but in order to pave a smoother way for all of my children. I need to give them all opportunities for everything from vacuuming to snow skiing, especially if I’m going to prove the birth order theories wrong! 

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1. Homeschooled students
2. Post-secondary enrollment option students
3. Students who play musical instruments

No matter which type of classroom she enters, my daughter has been met with this same sentiment from instructors. Part of me cringes when I hear her report this back because I don’t want her to think that she will have an easy ride (she fits the bill on all three). However, I know that what these professors tell their students is true – in order to succeed in college it takes a unique skill set that public and many private high schools simply do not provide for students. College is no longer the absolute key to a successful future. In fact, far too many students feel they simply need to go to college because that has been the long-standing expectation. College does not guarantee anything, other than debt for most, and it does require skills that aren’t on any high school class syllabi. This article is not about the merit of a college education – the arguments both ways are long and just. However, for students like my daughter who have passions and end goals that do require a college degree (as in the medical field – we don’t need undertrained yuppies with scalpels), achieving those goals in higher education can be challenging. There are several key sets of skills that college students need to develop before they enter their first campus classroom if this educational journey is to be of any value.

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-monitoring skills
3. Financial literacy
4. Real study habits
5. Questioning minds
6. Real world work skills
7. Academic adeptness

Self-Awareness

It is so sad to hear students talk about the fact that they truly don’t know why they are in college (other than Mom and Dad said to go) and they aren’t really pursuing a passion. I wouldn’t even spend $45 on a pair of jeans if I didn’t love them, why would you consider thousands on classes you don’t know will help support your dreams? College can be a great decision for those who have a directed passion that requires the degree, but can also be a complete drain of time and finances for students who are “maybe thinking about being in business” as I recently heard one kid say. College isn’t the time to think about passions – it is the place to pursue them, especially at today’s costs. Before checking out the dorms or buying books, students should:

• Know how the degree will or won’t help support their careers
• Know how versatile their degree might be
• Know if this is their own passion or if college is on someone else’s list of goals

Self-Monitoring Skills

College is less structured than typical high schools, leading to some of the biggest problems for college freshmen. Students must be able to get to class on time, attend class (novel idea for some), and prepare for class as if it is really helping them reach their goals. All too often public high schools don’t require students to truly be responsible for their own behaviors. Schools send virtual notes to parents about everything from late papers to who is running low on glue-sticks, and students are rarely actually in charge of their own high school courses. They are tracked, placed in classes, and handed a 4 year-plan without consultation. College is suddenly a freedom they can’t handle.

Financial Literacy

On my daughter’s campus there is a huge discrepancy between the students who have financial literacy and those who don’t. It is a private college and either the students are there with financial support from parents, or they understand the value of their dollar and want to make sure it is used to the very last fraction of a cent. However, financial literacy goes beyond understanding the cost/benefit ratio of college expenses. It is directly related to students truly knowing about the nuts and bolts of paying bills, investing, and what to really do with a paycheck. High schools often fail to teach these skills because the classes are taught on textbooks, not real life. It is left the parents to teach these skills, and they are often relying on home economics classes to get the job done. If you want to teach your child about financial literacy, be open about real financial decisions within the family and introduce them to people in their potential fields of interest who can let them know what to expect. Better yet – make sure your kids are in charge of their money – it is too easy to spend Dad’s and not think much about it.

Real Study Habits

This one seems to really exemplify why professors would call on homeschoolers and musicians. They have developed skills largely independent of constant direction and are capable of self-directed learning because they really have no other choices. In our homeschool the goal is to learn how to learn – and that doesn’t come from following state standards on boxed curriculum sets. That is called regurgitation.

Questioning Minds

By the time a typical student graduates from high school, he has probably been told thousands of times precisely how to complete the homework and accumulate the necessary information. College strips that away and presents students with broad concepts, but doesn’t tell them everything they need to know each step of the way. In order to really gleam knowledge in college students need to know how to ask questions and become partners in learning instead of passive bodies in the desks.

Real-World Work Skills

Communicating with people of all ages, abilities, and from all walks of life isn’t a skill that is imprinted in high school where students are segregated by age and social classes. Teachers are amazing people, but they just can’t be everything to every student. If a high school student is interested in broadcast journalism (like my son), sitting in a classroom with a teacher who has never done this trade can’t provide those real-world skills. Instead, parents need to help their kids find mentors and opportunities to grow these skills outside of the high school classroom.

Academic Adeptness

Let’s be real – it is really hard to get into a good college with failing or substandard high school grades. However, the classes on the transcript aren’t the only things admission offices look at for acceptance. In fact, one of the prevailing guidelines my daughter faced when applying was minimum test scores on college entrance exams. High school grades were never really a factor. For this one instance, studying how to take a test well can pay off (although it is my absolute least favorite criteria).

Getting into college can be like a game, and staying in it can be like a race. If our kids don’t know where the finish line is for the race there really seems no point in running them ragged to get there. Parents need to proactively find ways for their kids to acquire these 7 skills outside of typical high school walls (and quit assuming everything is addressed by graduation). For more ideas on how to prepare your children well, check out some of these ideas.

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2. The College Conspiracy: Should You Send Your Kids To College?
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