The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign’s Parenting Skills to Keep Your Children Healthy and Safe.

It's not easy being a parent, especially when you're talking about touchy subjects such as drug use. Experts say that to create an environment that combines words with action, you should:

• Be involved in your kids' lives. Know what your children are doing-their activities and how they spend their time.
• Set limits with clear rules and consequences for breaking them.
• Praise and reward good behavior.

Of course, your kids might not like your keeping tabs on where they are and what they're doing. However, let them know that, even though they feel uncomfortable, it is in their best interest. There should be a continuing dialogue between parents and children, but a household is not a democracy when it comes to making decisions, and it shouldn't be. In the end, it's not pestering, it's parenting. It is important that kids learn basic values by respecting their parents' decisions, because parents make their decisions based on what is best for their children.

Tips: Ask Who? What ? When? Where?

There are many ways to know what your child is doing:

• Always know where your child is when he or she is away from home. Ask your kids to check in with you regularly. If you can afford to, give them coins, a phone card, a pager (personal locator) or a cell phone, with exact instructions on how to use it. (Tell them, for example, "Always call me when you leave school," or "When I beep you, I expect a call back in five minutes.")
• Walk through your neighborhood to find out where kids your child's age hang out.
• Create a list of "safe zones," which are places that you have checked out and that are safe and provide adequate adult supervision.
• Create a list of phone numbers and addresses of "safe people." These are adults that you know do not use drugs, whom your child can go to in case of an emergency.
• Create a list of phone numbers of your child's friends and their parents' names.

For more information on marijuana and keeping your teen drug-free, visit www.TheAntiDrug.com

Article provided by