My Newspaper
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my 16 year old going on 25......
Posted by:
Dianne Gray on
August 19, 2008 at
2:53PM EST
Help!!! I have exhausted every tool I possess to have my daughter stay home, she works goes to a friends after work and refuses 3 out of 5 days to come home... I have tried everything, from forcing her, talking to her, even the police, I know she is drinking and smoking pot.... she is going into grade 11 this year at school and I am afraid that she's just not going to make it.. we had a trauma last year where 8 members of our basketball team were killed coming home from a game, and a couple of these kids were good friends, she has had counselling and I'm not blaming her behaviour on this loss, however, she is defiant,rude and sometimes she's back to herself, her brother has tried talking to her , her dad, her friends, she's just with a bad bunch of kids and making terrible decisions, any help would be appreciated....
(2) Comments
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I always tell parents, it is extremely difficult to try to shield a kid today from being exposed to pot because it is so prominent. I believe parents, and what I do with many of my clients, need to spend their efforts trying to equip kids to make the right choices, so when they are exposed to it, they will choose not to smoke.
Before you dive into trying to equip them with the power to ‘say no,’ try to gauge their level of involvement. Ask the tough questions. I am not saying to grill them before they go out, but showing them you are paying attention and are very involved is important and you can get an idea of how much or how little you know about their social life. Get informed about the pot culture in general and in your specific community. As horrible as it sounds, if your kid wants to smoke, they will find a way. Make sure that they know never to drive high. If you think they are smoking and you cannot do anything about it (sometimes it happens), then at least tell them to call you if they are ever in a situation and they will not get in trouble.
Many, many, kids drive high or drunk and this worries me more than anything. I constantly talk to teens about smoking and always give them non-health class reasons not to smoke which, I believe, appeal more to their interests. I always stress to girls the aging effects of smoking. I spoke to a group of 16 year-olds about ‘anti-partying’ and gave them my reasons not to smoke (they were shocked, because they were so a-typical).
Dore Frances, M.A.
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Posted by: sj on August 27, 2008 10:37AM EST
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