{"id":1078,"date":"2021-12-02T19:47:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T19:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/?page_id=1078"},"modified":"2021-12-02T19:50:19","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T19:50:19","slug":"for-parents-and-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/for-parents-and-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"For Parents and caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t
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For Parents\/Caregivers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resources <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/talk-they-hear-you\/parent-resources <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/teens.drugabuse.gov\/parents <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suspected Use<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/apcbham.org\/parent-tool-box\/parent-toolbox\/<\/a>
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Prepare to Take Action
If you\u2019ve just discovered or have reason to believe your child is using nicotine, alcohol or drugs, the first thing to do is sit down and take a deep breath. We know this is scary, but you have resources to help you prepare for the important conversation ahead. Some brief preparation now can lay a foundation for more positive outcomes ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u2022 Gather any evidence
\u2022 Have a discussion with a counselor or an educated, trusted friend
\u2022 Get on the same page with your significant other
\u2022 Expect anger and resolve to remain calm
\u2022 Be prepared to discuss any addiction in your family
\u2022 Establish clear rules and consequence
\u2022 Plan small realistic goals for conversations
\u2022 Keep Lines of Communication Open<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Discovering that your child could be using substances stirs up a lot of emotion. The best way to find out what\u2019s going on, and to begin helping, is to start talking. Normally, it will take time and many conversations to get to points of clarity and before your child is ready to seek help.\u00a0 It is important to learn how to have a conversation instead of a confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u2022 Create a safe place to talk
\u2022 Remain calm and resist the urge or overreact
\u2022 Express how much you care
\u2022 Ask open-ended questions
\u2022 Give lots of positive feedback
\u2022 Listen more than you talk
\u2022 Thank your child for being willing to talk with you
\u2022 Practice Positive Reinforcement<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In households where a child is using substances, it can be easy to focus on everything the child is doing wrong and respond with lectures, punishment and confrontation. Unfortunately, this often only escalates the problems.
Instead, it is important to focus on what your child is doing right. This sounds simple, but it can make an enormous difference. When you notice the positive things your child is doing and reinforce them, there\u2019s a stronger chance you\u2019ll see those behaviors again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u2022 Develop a list of behaviors you would like to reinforce
\u2022 Choose a reinforcer that will be appreciated by your child
\u2022 Celebrate the small successes\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empower<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/apcbham.org\/parent-tool-box\/parent-toolbox\/<\/a>
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Elementary Age
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stress, adversity, failure, challenges, or even trauma. It\u2019s not something that kids either have or don\u2019t have; it\u2019s a skill that kids develop as they grow.
Resilience helps kids navigate stressful situations. When kids have the skills and the confidence to confront and work through their problems, they learn that they have what it takes to confront difficult issues.\u00a0
While the gut reaction of the parent might be to jump in and help so that the child avoids dealing with discomfort, this actually weakens resilience. Kids need to experience discomfort so that they can learn to work through it and develop their own problem-solving skills. Without this skill-set in place, kids will experience anxiety and shut down in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Parents can help kids build resilience by:
\u2022 Building a strong emotional connection
\u2022 Promote healthy risk-taking
\u2022 Resist the urge to fix it and ask questions instead
\u2022 Teach problem-solving skills
\u2022 Label emotions
\u2022 Demonstrate coping skills
\u2022 Embrace mistakes \u2013 Theirs and Yours
\u2022 Celebrate positives
\u2022 Model resiliency
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Middle School Age
If we really want our children to be equipped to both make good choices and stick to those choices in tough situations, we need to teach them how to say no. Tools for saying no are called refusal skills. and\u00a0there are plenty of options for teens who want to turn down their friends without bringing repercussions on themselves.
The key is to discuss these strategies with your teen and role play with them before the peer pressure takes place.\u00a0 It is important for them to consider saying this to a friend that is pressuring them, not a person they don\u2019t know or care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Some refusal strategies include:
\u2022 Avoid the situation
\u2022 Practice saying No
\u2022 State a Reason, Excuse or Fact
\u2022 Blame a parent
\u2022 Use humor
\u2022 Strength in numbers
\u2022 Change the subject
We hope you can be sympathetic to what your teen has to deal with as they learn to say no to their friends.\u00a0 This is hard for them, but it is also doable. When teens have strategies in place, when they know how to say no without drawing attention to themselves, they will feel better about their own choices, and you\u2019ll feel better about those choices too.
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High School Age
We know teens are incredibly savvy when it comes to their knowledge about substance use, and they need information and messages based in real life. This is a pivotal time for parents to help their kids make positive choices about substances. Be knowledgeable and equipped to have honest conversations.
Make sure your teen also knows the rules and the consequences for breaking those rules \u2014 and, most importantly, that you really will enforce those consequences. Kids are less likely to use nicotine, alcohol and other substances if their parents have established a pattern of setting clear rules and consequences for breaking those rules. Those consequences should be reasonable, enforceable and short-lived.\u00a0
Share often what you find wonderful about them. They need to hear consistent positive comments about their lives, who they are as individuals and all of the wonderful things they have to look forward to if they are healthy and safe.
Show interest in and discuss your child\u2019s daily ups and downs. You\u2019ll earn their trust, learn how to talk to each other, and you won\u2019t take them by surprise when you voice a strong point of view about substances.\u00a0 Teaching your teen that it is normal to discuss things they are concerned about and ask for help when they need it is one of the greatest gifts you can give them for healthy living.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 For Parents\/Caregivers Resources https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/talk-they-hear-you\/parent-resources https:\/\/teens.drugabuse.gov\/parents Suspected Use https:\/\/apcbham.org\/parent-tool-box\/parent-toolbox\/ Prepare to Take ActionIf you\u2019ve just discovered or have reason to believe your child is using nicotine, alcohol or drugs, the first thing to do is sit down and take a deep breath. We know this is scary, but you have resources to help you prepare … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1078","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1078"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1084,"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1078\/revisions\/1084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.muhlenbergcountyhealthdepartment.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}