July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
It's important to know parents
To the editor:
As our community gets ready to send our children back to school, the Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition would like to remind every parent about the risks of drug use including cigarettes, marijuana, illicit drugs and alcohol.
We often hear about how peer pressure, lack of parental supervision, parental drug use and other social factors increase the likelihood of our children becoming involved with drugs.
The coalition would like to suggest another way that parents can be diligent about making sure their child is less likely to try or use drugs. It is based on the simple premise of do you know the parents of your child’s friends?
In a 2005 study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, the findings suggest that the parenting style in adolescents’ friends’ homes plays an important role in determining adolescent substance use. It was determined that adolescent substance use in the 10th grade was significantly related to the parenting behaviors of friend’s parents. According to Penn State University’s Michael Cleveland, “...if you belong to a friendship group whose parents are inconsistent, and your parents are consistent, you are still more likely to use alcohol.”
The coalition encourages parents to get to know one another and come together to look out for not only their own child, but all the children in their circle of friends. We encourage all parents to know their children and their friends and ask where they are, what they are doing, and who they are hanging out with. Please pay attention to signs of drug use in your child and their circle of friends including a drop in grades; not wanting to attend school; a new group of friends; a change of attitude for the worse; withdrawal; tired all the time; lack of grooming; and a loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed.
And always trust your instincts — no one knows their own child better than a parent.
It truly does take a village to raise a child!
Carolyn Carducci
Member
Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition[[In-content Ad]]
As our community gets ready to send our children back to school, the Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition would like to remind every parent about the risks of drug use including cigarettes, marijuana, illicit drugs and alcohol.
We often hear about how peer pressure, lack of parental supervision, parental drug use and other social factors increase the likelihood of our children becoming involved with drugs.
The coalition would like to suggest another way that parents can be diligent about making sure their child is less likely to try or use drugs. It is based on the simple premise of do you know the parents of your child’s friends?
In a 2005 study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, the findings suggest that the parenting style in adolescents’ friends’ homes plays an important role in determining adolescent substance use. It was determined that adolescent substance use in the 10th grade was significantly related to the parenting behaviors of friend’s parents. According to Penn State University’s Michael Cleveland, “...if you belong to a friendship group whose parents are inconsistent, and your parents are consistent, you are still more likely to use alcohol.”
The coalition encourages parents to get to know one another and come together to look out for not only their own child, but all the children in their circle of friends. We encourage all parents to know their children and their friends and ask where they are, what they are doing, and who they are hanging out with. Please pay attention to signs of drug use in your child and their circle of friends including a drop in grades; not wanting to attend school; a new group of friends; a change of attitude for the worse; withdrawal; tired all the time; lack of grooming; and a loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed.
And always trust your instincts — no one knows their own child better than a parent.
It truly does take a village to raise a child!
Carolyn Carducci
Member
Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition[[In-content Ad]]
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