talking about drugs/alcohol

[Mom-ninja.]

I find it odd that I have no problem talking with my kids about s*x, yet I find myself floundering when I think about how to approach the topic of drugs.

 

Please direct to some good books. I'm begging the Hive to help me make this topic easier for me to explain. This would be for my 9 yr old. I can wait with the 6 yr old, right? Please say yes.

[Lara in Colo]

There is this AMAZING video called Which Brain do You Want?. Here is a sample

http://www.bolles.org/files/Part_1.pdf. There is an older (and much better ) version at my library but the newer version is still alright.

This video shows a scan of a heathy brain and and several scans of brains on different drugs---meth, cocain, pot, caffeine, ciggarettes, booze. This shows how the brain loses blood flow and the loss looks like a "hole" on the scan. It explains what each part of the brain does what and how you damage your life by damageing your brain.

 

 

I showed this to DD1 at 5 yrs old and she wouldn't let me drink tea for a month. Very good video--try to get the older version on vhs. (90's????)

 

 

Lara

Edited June 7, 2010 by Lara in Colo

[Impish]

I didn't have the chance to have a 'formal' talk with Diva before it cropped up. She had some 'friends' have a drinking party. She was smart enough to leave, come home and tell me about it.

 

Diva is 11.

 

I wouldn't wait.

[elegantlion]

Here's a great site where you can request free information to help you have those discussions. http://www.drugabuse.gov/

[Perry]

I can wait with the 6 yr old, right? Please say yes.

I'm very open with my kids and we talk about everything. But I'd wait with the 6 year old. My kids were in public school at that age, and they started discussing drugs in Kindergarten. As a result they were upset and confused, and were terrified of Ibuprofen and antibiotics.

 

One of the teachers had a sign on her door that said "Mrs. M's first graders are proud to be drug free!" :001_huh:

[hazilsara]

I've actually been talking to my ds11 about our expectations on drugs, smoking, alcohol and sex for years! It wasn't that we sat down and had a big formal conversation. Whenever I see someone, on the street, or maybe in a passing TV show, I say something like "wow! That person is making a really bad choice, huh?" At first, when he was young, I just told him that those things were bad for him. Now that he's older, we've talked in more detail about why they're bad, what they do to your brain and body in general.

 

We're lucky to have Cub Scouts, as well. They have a Stay off Drugs little magazine thing that gives alot of disgusting details--some are still too old for him, but we could discuss the items that I thought were appropriate for him. We were also able to have a DARE officer come talk to the boys in his Pack. It was great!

 

Anyway, good luck!!

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm very open with my kids and we talk about everything. But I'd wait with the 6 year old. My kids were in public school at that age, and they started discussing drugs in Kindergarten. As a result they were upset and confused, and were terrified of Ibuprofen and antibiotics.

 

One of the teachers had a sign on her door that said "Mrs. M's first graders are proud to be drug free!" :001_huh:

 

Thank you. I know that my 6 yr old is just not mature enough to figure out what I would be trying to explain.