Guess a lot depends on the so called 'wrong' friends right ?
:roll:
From the personal experience: Perhaps a bit. I think what is way more important is to teach your kids self-consciousness. If your kids have the inner strength to say "No", things are easier if there are those wrong friends around.
Kids should know that no kind of drugs can provide a shelter or protection against problems. Kids should know that people who do drugs are hardly friends to rely on in sticky situations.
Kids should know there's nothing cool about drugs - except refusing to take them.
Letting them know your expectations for them and not being afraid to set limits is also an important factor.
And remember that pre-teens and teenagers need you around, and your guidance, just as much, if not more, than younger kids.
Modeling the proper behavior is important too.
Too many parents here, who were growing up themselves in the 70s & 80s were afraid to set limits and no-drug-use expectations for their kids because they had been users themselves during their own teen years and somehow felt they didn't have a right, or where afarid their own use would be brought up and they'd be seen as hypocrites by their kids, or whatever reasons, I don't know why, but -- it has had disasterous results.
And many seem to think that by 15, 16 kids are grow and don't need looking after any more. Bad idea!
I managed to raise 2 drug-free kids to adulthood.
I agree 100% My parents were an excellent example of "practice what you preach." They set clear boundaries, but didn't keep me on too tight a leash.
I didn't drink hardly at all (wine on occasion with my parents) until I turned 21. Why? Because my parents didn't drink like idiots, nor did they treat alcohol as if it were the most evil substence on Earth. If I wanted to try a sip of what they were drinking, they let me. Honestly, because I COULD have it, and I was given enough trust that I wouldn't be stupid, I didn't drink as a minor.
Niether of my parents smokes. On occasion I'd see my dad with a cigar, but I had no interest in them. I did try smoking once when I was 13, and every now and then during high school I'd bum a drag off of a friend's cigarette, but for the most part I didn't smoke, nor did I care to take it up.
As for illicit drugs, I simply always thought they were stupid. So did my Mom. My dad was a poliece officer, so he did alot of anti-drug work. They were both young people during the 60's, and didn't get into the "Sex and drugs" phenomenon. In fact, my dad thought it was idiotic, and my mom saw no point to it.
I got lucky, with awesome parents.
