Our kids are doing drugs. Period!
You may be the exception, but you also may be in denial. This assumption of drug use is not baseless, believe me, and at the same time it doesn't mean that our children are addicts...yet.
Take a moment and read these two recent articles.
sfgate article on kids & drugs
sfgate article on pot laced treat
Did you ever suspect that your child may have tried smoking pot? What about alcohol? Did they ever smell like smoke or booze? How about "E" (Ecstasy - MDMA)? These are just a few of the very prevalent drug options that are out there, and it is our job, as parents, to lure them away from these temptations.
The best way to prevent drug use by our children is to confront them about it. Ask them if they are using. Ask them if they have ever used before. Inquire about what types of drugs, if any, they, or their friends have experimented with. If they appear to be either fidgeting, looking towards the ground, or become agitated or angry by this line of questioning; they're lying!
Now I know that this is NOT ALWAYS the case, but generally speaking...it is.
If your child pulls out the old "Well, you did drugs when you were my age" excuse, gently explain to them that what you did as a teenager is of no consequence to them nor is it an excuse for their behavior, and/or that today's drugs are far more potent, dangerous and more readily available than in anytime before.
You can also remind these little devils that it is our job as parents to keep them safe and on the "right track", and more often than not, drugs can only hamper these efforts.
Sure, they'll argue until they are blue in the face, but you are to remain steadfast and resolute. They will be able to tell if you are weak in reasoning, or if you are just going through the motions. What often happens next is that they will sneak behind your back and begin, or continue to partake in their drug of choice, and simply become more clever in their means to conceal this behavior.
Some parent's might take the "What I don't know won't hurt me" mentality, but rest assured, it will end up hurting you sooner or later, and often with devastating results.
If you feel that your children are involved in any type of drug use, including alcohol, feel free to pop by our office and pick up an in-home drug testing kit so that you can get some of the answers that you might be looking for. We have a pen-test kit that simply wipes across any surface, i.e., a computer keyboard, cell phone, etc., and will detect multiple types of listed drugs. Or, we also have a simple-to-use urine test-kit as well.
We'll be happy to administer either of these tests for you, however there will be an additional cost for this service.
For an even easier answer to many of your teenage-concerns, purchase one of our Internet Monitoring Software applications and read exactly what your child is spouting off to their friends on email, chat, Facebook, etc. Some of the best information I've obtained is through this software. It seems that our children will say anything to their friends, assuming that nobody else can see it. This is NOT a violation of our children's right to privacy, nor is it against any laws. Until they are 18 years of age, and living under your roof, they actually don't have many rights. As I tell me two teens, "Our house does not subscribe to the democratic rules; it is merely a dictatorship, and I am the dictator." Of course I say this with a smile and with some indication of jest, but there is much truth to this ruling concept. I set the rules of my home, and they must obey them, this way when they become adults and fly away into the real world, they have a sense of rules, regulations, responsibility, reasoning and structure.
I don't do this TO them, I do this FOR them.
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