Just as you inoculate your kids against illnesses like measles and mumps, you can help “immunize” them against drug use by giving them the facts before they’re in a risky situation.  Drug abuse among teens continues to be a significant problem.  Teens, even middle schoolers, are abusing both illegal drugs (like marijuana and synthetic marijuana) and legal drugs (like Adderall, Vicodin, and alcohol).

When kids don’t feel comfortable talking to parents, they’re likely to seek answers elsewhere, and their sources may very likely be unreliable. Kids who aren’t properly informed are at greater risk of engaging in unsafe behaviors and experimenting with drugs. Parents who are educated about the effects of drug use and learn the facts can help correct any misconceptions children may have.

Make talking about drugs a part of your general health and safety conversations with your child. Parents are role models for their children so your views on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can strongly influence the views of your child.

Preschool to age 7:  Before you get nervous about talking to young kids, take heart. You’ve probably already laid the groundwork for a discussion. For instance, whenever you give a fever medication or an antibiotic to your child, you have the opportunity to discuss the benefits and the appropriate and responsible use of those drugs. This is also a time when your child is likely to be very attentive to your behavior and guidance.

Start taking advantage of “teachable moments” now. For example, if you see a character on a billboard or on TV with a cigarette, talk about smoking, nicotine addiction, and what smoking does to a person’s body. This can lead into a discussion about other drugs and how they can potentially cause harm.

Keep the tone of these discussions calm and use terms that your child can understand. Be specific about the effects of the drugs: how they make a person feel, the risk of overdose, and the other long-term damage they can cause. To give your kids these facts, you might have to do a little research.

Ages 8 to 12: As your kids grow older, you can begin conversations with them by asking them what they think about drugs. By asking the questions in a nonjudgmental, open-ended way, you’re more likely to get an honest response.

Kids this age usually are still willing to talk openly to their parents about touchy subjects. Establishing a dialogue now helps keep the door open as kids get older and are less inclined to share their thoughts and feelings with you.

Even if your question doesn’t immediately result in a discussion, you’ll get your kids thinking about the issue. If you show your kids that you’re willing to discuss the topic and hear what they have to say, they might be more willing to come to you for help in the future.

News, such as steroid use in professional sports and other drug related stories, can be springboards for casual conversations about current events. Use these discussions to give your kids information about the risks of drugs.

Ages 13 to 17: Kids this age are likely to know other kids who use alcohol, marijuana, and drugs and to have friends who drive. Many are still willing to express their thoughts or concerns with parents about it.

Use these conversations not only to understand your child’s thoughts and feelings, but also to talk about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Talk about the legal issues — jail time and fines — and the possibility that they or someone else might be killed or seriously injured.

Consider establishing a written or verbal contract on the rules about going out or using the car. You can promise to pick your kids up at any time (even 2:00 AM!) no questions asked if they call you when the person responsible for driving has been drinking or using drugs.

The contract also can detail other situations: For example, if you find out that someone drank or used drugs in your car while your son or daughter was behind the wheel, you may want to suspend driving privileges for awhile. By discussing all of this with your kids from the start, you eliminate surprises and make your expectations clear.

No parent, child, or family is immune to the effects of drugs. Some of the “best” kids from the “best” families can and do end up in trouble, even when they have made an effort to avoid it and even when they have been given the proper guidance from their parents.

However, certain groups of kids may be more likely to use drugs than others. Kids who have friends who use drugs are likely to try drugs themselves. Those feeling socially isolated for whatever reason may turn to drugs.

It’s important to lay the groundwork.  Know your child’s friends — and their parents. Be involved in your children’s lives. If your child’s school runs an anti-drug program, get involved. Pay attention to how your kids are feeling and let them know that you’re available and willing to listen in a nonjudgmental way. Recognize when your kids are going through difficult times so that you can provide the support they need or seek additional care if it’s needed.

Role-playing can help your child develop strategies to turn down drugs if they are offered. Act out possible scenarios they may encounter. Helping them construct phrases and responses to say no prepares them to know how to respond before they are even in that situation.

A warm, open family environment — where kids are encouraged to talk about their feelings, where their achievements are praised, and where their self-esteem is bolstered — encourages kids to come forward with their questions and concerns. When censored in their own homes, kids go elsewhere to find support and answers to their most important questions.

Make talking and having conversations with your children a regular part of your day. Finding time to do things you enjoy together as a family helps everyone stay connected and maintain open communication.

On Saturday, April 27, law enforcement and the Whitfield and Murray Family Connections are sponsoring a Drug Take Back Day in conjunction with the DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day.  Sites will be available in both counties for people to come and dispose of old and unused prescription drugs in a safe and environmentally friendly way.  This event was held last year, and over 300 pounds of drugs were turned in.  Drug Take Back helps get rid of drugs in our community that our young people might get their hands on and abuse.  More information about the day will be forthcoming.  Please be watching.

If you are looking for more resources for you or your child, be sure to also talk to your doctor.  In addition, two good websites are www.drugabuse.gov and www.drugfree.org.

Parents sometimes underestimate the value of play. In an effort to keep their children safe and help them excel, many parents keep their children very busy in structured activities, academic pursuits, and passive activities indoors.  Although reading, homework, and organized arts and sports are all important to a child’s development, so is the opportunity to play outside.

Free play helps children develop creativity and problem-solving abilities, strengthens their social skills, and helps them gain confidence as they explore their world. Play is also a great antidote to obesity, providing physical activity that makes our children strong.

“The earliest forms of physical exercise are a baby and toddler’s simple efforts to explore objects and concepts like space, distance, speed, time and weight,” explains Peter A. Gorski, MD, MPA, the chief health and child development officer for The Children’s Trust. “As children grow, play becomes the vehicle for continued activity, helping to increase coordination, strength, and skill.”

Playing indoors can also be valuable, especially if you provide inexpensive playthings that encourage creativity and self-expression, such as blocks, dress-up clothes, and art supplies. But there is nothing like fresh air and sunshine to bring out the best in your child.

If you don’t take your child outdoors very often, you are not alone. A recent study found that half of the preschoolers in this country do not go outside with a parent daily to play. The study noted that outdoor activity is important to child health and development, and that improvement is needed in the interest of our children.

Resolve this year to take your children outside for some fun and games, whether in youar backyard, in your neighborhood, or at a park or playground. And don’t let cold weather prevent you from letting your child play outside.  Research has shown, and doctors will tell you, that cold weather does not cause colds or other illnesses.  That is simply an “old wives’ tale.” People in cold climates such as Alaska and Canada have no more winter colds or other similar ailments than people living in a warm climate. In fact, cold weather actually appears to stimulate the immune system, according to a study by the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Letting children play outside is a great strategy if a parent is trying to encourage more physical activity. When prompted to play outside, children naturally engage in physical activities that they enjoy, Dr. Gorski says. “This remains true throughout adult life,” he says. “Ask anyone who has engaged in exercise because they felt they had to, as opposed to folks who pursue an active lifestyle because that brings them pleasure. The former are likely to stop and start repeatedly with unsatisfying results. The latter group weaves physical activity into their lives naturally and playfully as they pursue their favorite hobbies.”  If children see play as something fun, they will be much more likely to engage in some form of regular physical activity their whole lives.

The fact that playing outside is so critical to a child’s development is the reason many pediatricians and child development experts are worried about the trend in some school systems across the country to cut back or eliminate recess.  Free play outdoors is a learning activity if supervised properly.

The earlier you start encouraging physical activity, the more natural it will be for your children — and the greater the likelihood they will stay active through their teen years and into adulthood.

One of the keys is not to get too serious. It should be all about fun. “Playing together is a great way to keep kids interested in being active,” says Suzanna Rose, PhD, executive director of the School of Integrated Science & Humanity at Florida International University. “We teach parents that they don’t need expensive equipment or a big backyard to play active games. The secret is to make active games and play a part of the child’s daily routine.”

Parents sometimes underestimate the value of play. In an effort to keep their children safe and help them excel, many parents keep their children very busy in structured activities, academic pursuits, and passive activities indoors.  Although reading, homework, and organized arts and sports are all important to a child’s development, so is the opportunity to play outside.

Free play helps children develop creativity and problem-solving abilities, strengthens their social skills, and helps them gain confidence as they explore their world. Play is also a great antidote to obesity, providing physical activity that makes our children strong.

“The earliest forms of physical exercise are a baby and toddler’s simple efforts to explore objects and concepts like space, distance, speed, time and weight,” explains Peter A. Gorski, MD, MPA, the chief health and child development officer for The Children’s Trust. “As children grow, play becomes the vehicle for continued activity, helping to increase coordination, strength, and skill.”

Playing indoors is also valuable, especially if you provide inexpensive playthings that encourage creativity and self-expression, such as blocks, dress-up clothes, and art supplies. But there is nothing like fresh air and sunshine to bring out the best in your child.

If you don’t take your child outdoors very often, you are not alone. A recent study found that half of the preschoolers in this country do not go outside with a parent daily to play. The study noted that outdoor activity is important to child health and development, and that improvement is needed in the interest of our children.

Resolve this year to take your children outside for some fun and games, whether in your backyard, in your neighborhood, or at a park or playground. And don’t let cold weather prevent you from letting your child play outside.  Research has shown and doctors will tell you that cold weather does not cause colds or other illnesses.  That is simply an “old wives’ tale.” People in cold climates such as Alaska and Canada have no more winter colds than people living in a warm climate. In fact, cold weather actually appears to stimulate the immune system, according to a study by the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Letting children play outside is a great strategy if a parent is trying to encourage more physical activity. When prompted to play outside, children naturally engage in physical activities that they enjoy, Dr. Gorski says. “This remains true throughout adult life,” he says. “Ask anyone who has engaged in exercise because they felt they had to, as opposed to folks who pursue an active lifestyle because that brings them pleasure. The former are likely to stop and start repeatedly with unsatisfying results. The latter group weaves physical activity into their lives naturally and playfully as they pursue their favorite hobbies.”  If children see play as something fun, they will be much more likely to engage in some form of regular physical activity their whole lives.

The fact that playing outside is so critical to a child’s development is the reason many pediatricians and child development experts are worried about the trend in some school systems across the country to cut back or eliminate recess.  Free play outdoors is a learning activity if supervised properly.

The earlier you start encouraging physical activity, the more natural it will be for your children — and the greater the likelihood they will stay active through their teen years and into adulthood.

One of the keys is not to get too serious. It should be all about fun. “Playing together is a great way to keep kids interested in being active,” says Suzanna Rose, PhD, executive director of the School of Integrated Science & Humanity at Florida International University. “We teach parents that they don’t need expensive equipment or a big backyard to play active games. The secret is to make active games and play a part of the child’s daily routine.”

With 2013 just beginning, the following are tips for a healthier, happier New Year for you and your kids from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 

Prevent violence by setting good examples.  Demonstrate and teach displays of affection, attention, and how to say “I’m sorry,” and how to ask for, give, and accept forgiveness.  All of these promote love and good will and reduce the likelihood of violence, aggression, and negative and destructive words and behaviors.

Set limits for your children by letting them know what’s expected, and noticing when they meet your expectations. Celebrate their successes with them. Non-physical forms of discipline work best. Try to avoid hitting, slapping, shaking, or spanking. Your children may copy you and think that it is OK to hit and hurt other people. 

Read, talk, and sing to your child every day.  Start from infancy. Reading to children motivates them to become readers. It shows them the importance of communication and benefits their language development, thinking skills, and intellectual development. It provides a context to discuss issues and learn what is on your child’s mind.  It also provides an opportunity to “bond” with your child and build a closer more loving relationship.   

Monitor your children’s “media.”  Monitor very carefully what your children see and hear on television, in movies, in music, and on the Internet. Children are affected by what they see and hear, particularly in these times of violent images. If you feel that a movie or TV program is inappropriate, redirect them to more suitable programming.  Be informed of what your children see or hear when visiting friends.  Limit the amount of TV your child watches.  Do not use the TV as a babysitter.    

Provide your child with a tobacco-free environment.  Second-hand tobacco smoke increases ear infections, chest infections, respiratory problems, and the likelihood of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. If you smoke, consider quitting. Remember, your child loves you and will copy you – if you smoke, your children may grow up to be smokers too. Make your home and car smoke-free zones. 

Practice “safety on wheels.”  Make sure everyone in the car is buckled up for every ride, with children in the back seat in age-appropriate child safety seats. All bikers, skaters, and skateboarders should wear helmets and other appropriate sports gear. 

Do a “childproofing” survey of your home.  A child’s-eye view home-survey should systematically go from room to room, removing all the “booby traps” that await the curious toddler or preschooler. Think of poisons, small objects, sharp edges, knives and firearms, and places to fall. 

Asking saves lives.  Ask your neighbor if they have a gun before sending your kids over to play. If the answer is “No,” that’s one less thing you have to worry about.

If the answer is “Yes”…you have to determine if your child’s safety is at risk. Guns should be kept in a gun safe with the ammunition locked separately, or they can pose a real risk to your child. If you have any doubts about the safety of someone’s home, you should politely invite their children to play at your house instead.

We hear people say all the time that the holidays have become too materialistic. “The gimmes” are all around us during the Christmas season: “Gimme this,” “Gimme that,” “I want this,” “I want that.” It can be hard for children – and parents alike – to look beyond all of the product-driven hoopla to see what the real meaning of the Christmas holiday is all about.

It’s not the actual gifts but what’s behind the gifts that’s important:  the spirit of giving. Help your kids learn the fun of giving, and how rewarding it can be to look for, make, and wrap something special – or do something special – for people they care about and others who are in need.

Here are five ways you can help decrease materialism in your kids and reinforce the real reason for the season.

1. Teach Kids to Question Marketing Messages.
From the TV commercials during Saturday morning cartoons to the promos on the backs of cereal boxes, marketing messages inundate kids of all ages. And to them, everything looks ideal – like something they simply have to have. It all sounds so appealing and, often, so much better than it really is.

The advertisements kids see around the holidays can help foster unrealistic expectations and lead to disappointment. After seeing their “wish list” items presented perfectly all around them, it’s hard for reality to measure up when they actually open their gifts.

Of course, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate all exposure to marketing messages. You can certainly turn off the TV or at least limit your kids’ watching time, but they’ll still see and hear advertisements for the latest gizmos and must-haves at every turn.

But what you can do is:

• Explain, when your kids ask for products they see advertised, that commercials and other ads are designed to make people want things they don’t necessarily need. And these ads are often meant to make us think that these products will make us happier. Talking to kids about what things are like in reality can help put things into perspective a little.

• Talk to your children about what they think about the products they see advertised as you’re watching TV, listening to the radio, reading magazines, or shopping together. Ask some thought-provoking questions such as:

  • “Do you think you need that product? If so, why?”

  • “Do you think that product really looks, tastes, or works the same way as it seems to in the ad?”

  • “Do you think that product will make you happy? If so, why?”

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that you limit your child’s exposure to TV commercials, by:

  • having your kids watch public television stations

  • taping programs – without the commercials

  • buying or renting children’s videos or DVDs

Teach your children that not everything they want can always be theirs. Also explain to your kids that a little “want” here and there isn’t all bad. The key with wanting things, as with most things, is to do it in moderation and to fully appreciate what you’re given. Emphasize that the holidays are a special time, when a lot of love and thought is put into gift giving.

2. Focus on Family Traditions.
Traditions that center around family or friends can be a great way to put meaning back into the holidays. Here are a few ideas:

• Talk about which family traditions your family loves the most. Then figure out how you can put more emphasis on them. If you enjoy the family trip to pick out the Christmas tree, make it an event in which you all head out to choose “just the right one.”  If you love the tradition of lighting the menorah, get together as a group to make your own candles. 

• Find out what the holidays mean to others. Have your children talk to a grandparent, parent, uncle, or aunt about how they spent the holidays growing up. Some holiday traditions that used to be strong – such as neighborhood caroling – are all but lost today. Maybe you’d like to revive some of these as a way to share some holiday spirit with your family, friends, or community.

• Build some new traditions. If you don’t have any family traditions, it’s never too late to start. Get together around activities that you all enjoy, such as cooking or decorating. Ask your kids what they would enjoy doing every year and make an effort to do it. If you can’t all decide on one thing, make traditions out of several, so that everyone feels like part of the festivities.

3. Teach Children to Give of Themselves.
Volunteerism, especially around the holidays, offers an ideal opportunity for families to have fun and feel closer to each other at the same time. Community service helps to drive home the message that giving is much more than laying down cash for the hot gift of the season or scrambling around to buy mounds of presents for a gazillion people. Volunteerism can show kids that giving your time, effort, and kindness is so much more rewarding than just expecting to receive mountains of material goods.

Also, if volunteering begins at an early age, it can become part of a child’s life – something he or she may just expect and want to do. It can teach kids: 

• The knowledge that one person can make a difference. A wonderful, empowering message for a child is that he or she is important enough to have an impact on someone or something else.
• The benefit of sacrifice. By giving up a toy to a less fortunate child, a child learns that it’s good to sacrifice sometimes. Cutting back on recreation time to help others tells kids that there are important things other than ourselves and our immediate needs.
• Tolerance. Working in community service can bring kids and teens in touch with people of different backgrounds, abilities, ethnicities, ages, education, and income levels, which can be a particularly important point to make around the holidays. They’ll likely find that even the most diverse individuals can be united by common values.
• To be even more appreciative of what they have. By helping others who aren’t as fortunate, kids can better understand all the remarkable things they should be grateful for in their own lives.

Choose to help an organization or group that fits with your family’s values and the things you believe in. Just a few ways you can help out in your community and beyond:

• Sponsor another family in need or purchase some presents for less fortunate children through a toy donation program. Let your kids pick out gifts for the other children themselves.  The Christmas is Caring event in our community is a great way to get involved.  And there are other local agencies that offer help at Christmas.
• If your kids love animals, talk to your local animal shelter. Many distribute staples like pet food to low-income pet owners over the holidays and need volunteers to help.
• Give back to the elderly in your area. Help out at a nursing home; visit with older people who could use a little extra joy and company around the holidays; bring gifts or meals to elderly who are homebound; or lend a hand to elderly neighbors who need some assistance with decorating, cooking, or wrapping presents.
• Volunteer your family’s time by helping out at a homeless shelter or refurbishing housing for people in need.

Community service can teach children that giving comes in many forms, not just as piles of presents. Emphasize to your kids that giving of their time, effort, and caring can mean so much more – and can be so much more lasting – than any gift that money can buy.

4. Give Gifts With Meaning.
Of course, gift giving will always be a large part of the holiday season. And with good reason – it can teach children to really consider what might make others happy and what’s important to people they care about. Watching loved ones’ faces as they open presents that your children put a lot of heart and thought into can make the holidays more worthwhile for your kids.

But presents don’t always have to be purchased in a store. Teach your kids how to put some real meaning and feelings into their gifts this year and beyond. Making their own presents can help kids to show just how much they care and can make the experience of giving so much more rewarding for both the giver and the receiver.

Here are some ideas to get your family started:

• Make homemade gifts together.
  • Create photo albums, especially small “brag books” that family members can carry around with them. Not only does this capture precious memories and show just how much they mean, making photo album gifts also shows loved ones that a lot of thought and time was put into their compiling their presents.
  • Print out and frame favorite digital photos of friends and loved ones.
  • Create customized stationery for people on your family’s list using your home computer and printer.
  • Have your children create their own customized artwork – collages, paintings, drawings, etc. – and put them in fun frames. Your kids can even decorate the frames.
  • Make your own batches of presents, be it potpourri, cookies, or ornaments, or wrapping paper and customized home decorations like wreaths.
  • Create personalized family videos for long-distance friends and loved ones.
• Give philanthropic gifts. Check out local charity organizations for information on donating money on behalf of others and about gifts whose proceeds go to the charity itself.
• Instead of giving gifts of things, teach children to consider giving gifts of time. For example, their grandmother may welcome their help in learning how to better use her computer. Or their little sister may want to learn how to play a board game. Have family members create special gift certificates (i.e., “one free shoulder massage,” “two free car washes,” “five free specially prepared meals,” “10 free loads of laundry,” etc.). These days, when everyone’s so stretched, a gift of time can actually be more meaningful than one that costs big bucks.

5. Be a Good Holiday Role Model.
Show your children that the holidays can be joyous and fulfilling, not just a stress-ridden time that revolves around marathon shopping trips. Emphasize to them early on that it’s not about getting piles of presents but giving and receiving a few heartfelt gifts. By starting early with traditions that emphasize the true meaning of the holidays and the caring thoughts behind gift giving, you can help to mold your kids’ perspectives on the holiday season and what it means to both give and receive all year long.

I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas and blessed holiday season.

Almost everyone does some Thanksgiving cooking, but why not change the menu a bit? Spice it up. Add something new. Increase the variety.

How about cooking up a huge batch of connectedness? Share family stories. Invite people to tell about their favorite Thanksgiving. Get people to work in teams on a treasure hunt. Have everyone put what they are thankful for on a file card. Collect them and read them aloud. Have people guess who wrote each one as they are read.

Peel the skins off your grievances and put them in the garbage disposal. Still angry about something someone did two years ago? It’s time to let it go. Upset because someone else did something you didn’t agree with? It’s time to peel off the layers of that and begin again.

Don’t allow judgment to stew in its own juices all day. Work on changing your mind rather than changing others. Let your judgment chill out in the refrigerator.

Serve the sustenance in the right order. Lead with empathy first.  Solving problems, fixing things, and making amends can come later, after the important hors d’oeuvre of empathy is dished out in ample amounts.

Don’t allow resentment to boil over. Ask for help if you need it. Invite others to take an active role in cooking and cleaning up. Don’t give something that has the hidden price of resentment attached to it. When you give, give with an open heart.

Liberally add doses of language that affirm and uplift. Verbally appreciate, send affection, and offer acknowledgment. Isn’t it time to add some food for the soul? 

How about serving up some Grade A conversation? Eliminate gossip and talking about others in a negative way. When you improve the quality of the conversation, you improve the quality of our lives.

Refuse to mash what is there. Whatever is there, let that be what you want. What is, is. To emotionally demand something else will burn your energy and darken your attitude.

Serve up one meaningful thing this day that helps someone enjoy a better moment, a better day, or a better life. You are the chef and the server. You get to decide what you feed your family and friends on this particular day.

Prepare Thanksgiving from a get to rather than a have to attitude.  You get to go grocery shopping. You don’t have to. You get to see relatives and friends. You get to watch all the kids interact and learn lessons about cooperation and sharing, or not.

Let Thanksgiving simmer slowly. Don’t turn it into a microwave experience. There is no need for hurry up this day. Savor it. 

Above all else, cook, talk, eat, relax, play, listen, entertain, clean up, pray, and share appreciation with love in your heart. You are worth it. And so is your family.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

This article was adapted from a column written by Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller. They are two leading authorities on raising responsible, caring, confident children. They publish a free Uncommon Parenting blog: www.uncommon-parenting.com.

Teenagers are famous for seeking independence from their parents.  However, according to a recent study by Penn State University researchers, many teens continue to spend time with their parents and this shared time is important for teens’ well-being.

“The stereotype that teenagers spend all their time holed up in their rooms or hanging out with friends is, indeed, just a stereotype,” said Susan McHale, professor of human development and director of the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State. “Our research shows that well into the adolescent years, teens continue to spend time with their parents and that this shared time, especially shared time with fathers, has important implications for the psychological and social adjustment of adolescents .”

The researchers studied whether the stereotype of teens growing apart from their parents and spending less time with them captured the everyday experiences of families by examining changes in the amount of time youths spent with their parents from early to late adolescence. On five occasions over seven years, the team conducted home and phone interviews with mothers, fathers, and the two oldest children in almost 200 middle- and working-class families living in small cities, towns and rural communities. At the start of the study, the oldest children in each family were about 11 and the second oldest were about 8 years old.

During the home interviews, teens reported on their social skills with peers and their self-esteem. After each home visit, the researchers also conducted a series of seven nightly phone interviews, asking teens about their activities during the day of the call, including who participated in the activities with them.

According to youths’ reports of their daily time, although parent-teen time when others were also present declined from the early to late teen years, parent-teen time with just the parent and the teen present increased in early and middle adolescence — a finding that contradicts the stereotype of teens growing apart from their parents.

“This suggests that, while adolescents become more independent, they continue to have one-on-one opportunities to maintain close relationships with their parents,” McHale said.

Furthermore, teens who spent more time with their fathers with others present had better social skills with peers, and teens who spent more time alone with their fathers had higher self-esteem, showing again the importance of fathers in their children’s’ lives.

The researchers also found that the decline in the time teens spent with parents and others was less pronounced for second-born than for first-born siblings. They also found that both mothers and fathers spent more time alone with a child of their same gender when they had both a daughter and a son.

The results appeared today (Aug. 21) in the journal Child Development.

Every year, young people in this country die of inhalant abuse. Hundreds suffer severe consequences, including permanent brain damage, loss of muscle control, and destruction of the heart, blood, kidney, liver, and bone marrow. Inhalants are common products found right in the home and are among the most popular and deadly substances kids abuse. Inhalant abuse can result in death from the very first use. According to the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) national poll, approximately one in six children will use inhalants by eighth grade. The same report notes that inhalants are most popular with younger teens. Teens use inhalants by sniffing or “snorting” fumes from containers; spraying aerosols directly into the mouth or nose; bagging (by inhaling a substance inside a paper or plastic bag); huffing from an inhalant-soaked rag; or inhaling from balloons filled with nitrous oxide.

Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that produce psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. Although people are exposed to volatile solvents and other inhalants in the home and in the workplace, many do not think of “inhalable” substances as drugs because most of them were never meant to be used in that way.

Young people are likely to abuse inhalants, in part, because inhalants are readily available and inexpensive. According to the most recent MTF study, relatively low numbers of 8th and 10th graders think that there is a “great risk” in using inhalants. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates a correlation between early inhalant use and delinquent behaviors, substance abuse, and other problems later in life.

Inhalant abuse rate has not decreased among youths since 2002. Inhalants are popular first-time drugs. According to the 2011 MTF survey, past-year use was reported as 7.0, 4.5, and 3.2 percent, for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders, respectively. Data compiled by the National Capital Poison Center also show the prevalence of cases reported to national poison control centers was highest among children aged 12 to 17, peaking among 14-year-olds. The MTF survey also indicates that in 2011, 8.6 percent of 8th-grade females reported using inhalants in the past year, compared with 5.5 percent of 8th-grade males.

Parents should see that these substances are monitored closely so that children do not abuse them. Today more than 1,000 different products are commonly abused. Inhalants fall into the following categories:

Solvents

• ·         industrial or household solvents or solvent-containing products, including paint thinners or solvents, degreasers (dry-cleaning fluids), gasoline, and glues
• ·        art or office supply solvents, including correction fluids, felt-tip-marker fluid, and electronic contact cleaners

 Gases

• ·       gases used in household or commercial products, including butane lighters and propane tanks, whipping cream aerosols or dispensers (whippets), and refrigerant gases
• ·      household aerosol propellants and associated solvents in items such as spray paints, hair or deodorant sprays, and fabric protector sprays
• ·     medical anesthetic gases, such as ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas)

 Nitrites

• ·       aliphatic nitrites, including cyclohexyl nitrite, which is available to the general public; amyl nitrite, which is available only by prescription; and butyl nitrite, which is now an illegal substance

Nearly all abused inhalants produce effects similar to anesthetics, which act to slow down the body’s functions. When inhaled in sufficient concentrations, inhalants can cause intoxicating effects that can last only a few minutes or several hours if inhalants are taken repeatedly. Initially, users may feel slightly stimulated; with successive inhalations, they may feel less inhibited and less in control; finally, a user can lose consciousness.

Research shows that inhalant use is also associated with symptoms of depression. The same research showed that depressed teens were more than three times as likely to start using inhalants than teens with no symptoms of depression. The reverse is also true, showing that teens often started using inhalants before depression began.

Inhalants are toxic. Chronic exposure can lead to permanent brain damage or nerve damage similar to multiple sclerosis; damage to the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and bone marrow; and prolonged abuse can affect thinking, movement, vision and hearing.

Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can directly induce heart failure and death. Heart failure results from the chemicals interfering with the heart’s rhythm regulating system, causing the heart to stop beating. This is especially common from the abuse of fluorocarbons and butane-type gases.

High concentrations of inhalants also cause death from asphyxiation, suffocation, convulsions or seizures, coma, choking or fatal injury from accidents while intoxicated.

Other irreversible effects caused by inhaling specific solvents are:

• ·   Hearing loss – toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers) and trichloroethylene (cleaning fluids, correction fluids)
• ·   Peripheral neuropathies or limb spasms – hexane (glues, gasoline) and nitrous oxide (whipping cream, gas cylinders)
• ·   Central nervous system or brain damage – toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers)
• ·   Bone marrow damage – benzene (gasoline)
• ·   Liver and kidney damage – toluene- containing substances and chlorinated hydrocarbons (correction fluids, dry- cleaning fluids)
• ·   Blood oxygen depletion – organic nitrites (“poppers,” “bold,” and “rush”) and methylene chloride (varnish removers, paint thinners)

 Parents can keep their teens away from inhalants by talking to them and letting them know the dangers of inhalants. Most young users don’t realize how dangerous inhalants can be. Inhalants are widely available and inexpensive, and parents should be mindful about how and where they store common household products.

 Parents should be aware of the following signs of an inhalant abuse problem:

• ·   Chemical odors on breath or clothing;
• ·   Paint or other stains on face, hands, or clothes;
• ·   Hidden empty spray paint or solvent containers and chemical-soaked rags or clothing;
• ·   Drunk or disoriented appearance;
• ·   Slurred speech;
• ·   Nausea or loss of appetite;
• ·   Inattentiveness, lack of coordination, irritability, and depression;
• ·   Missing household items

Now that school is starting, I want to share a front page June 10 story from the New York Times.  “The Rise of the Good Grade Pill” provides a jolting view into today’s competitive and stress-filled teenage existence – too often fueled by prescription drug abuse. It describes the common sharing (and selling) of amphetamines like Adderall and Ritalin, prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), that help kids “tunnel focus” for tests and college applications; and it is happening at both public and private schools across the country.

“Everyone in school either has a prescription or has a friend who does,” said one boy in the article. Teens say they get pills from friends, buy them from student dealers, or fake symptoms to their parents and doctors in order to get prescriptions. “They’re the quote-unquote good kids, basically,” said one high school senior who was quoted.

The New York Times article continues to describe the downside of drug abuse: hallucinations, convulsions, emergency room visits, and drug rehabilitation.  “No one seems to thinks that it’s the real thing,” quoted one boy who has been in drug rehab. “The other kids in rehab thought we weren’t addicts because Adderall wasn’t a real drug. It’s so underestimated.” 

At high schools across the United States, pressure over grades and competition for college admissions are encouraging students to abuse prescription stimulants, according to interviews with students, parents, and doctors. Pills that have been a staple in some college and graduate school circles are going from rare to routine in many high schools.  While these medicines tend to calm people with ADHD, those without the disorder find that just one pill can jolt them with the energy and focus to push through all-night homework binges and stay awake during exams afterward.

Abuse of prescription stimulants can lead to depression and mood swings (from sleep deprivation), heart irregularities, and acute exhaustion or psychosis during withdrawal, doctors say. Little is known about the long-term effects of abuse of stimulants among the young. Drug counselors say that for some teenagers, the pills eventually become an entry to the abuse of painkillers and sleep aids.

The number of prescriptions for ADHD medications dispensed for young people ages 10 to 19 has risen 26 percent since 2007, to almost 21 million yearly, according to IMS Health, a health care information company — a number that experts estimate corresponds to more than two million individuals. But there is no reliable research on how many high school students take stimulants as a study aid. It is estimated that the portion of students who do so ranges from 15 percent to 40 percent.

Older ADHD drugs required low doses every few hours, and schools, not wanting students to carry the drugs themselves, had the school nurse hold and dispense the pills. Newer long-lasting versions like Adderall XR and Vyvanse allow parents to give children a single dose in the morning, often unaware that the pills can go down a pants pocket as easily as the throat. Some students said they took their pills only during the week and gave their weekend pills to friends. A high school senior who has used his friend’s Adderall for school said: “These are academic steroids. But parents don’t usually get the steroids for you.”

The recent and tragic rash of children accidentally shooting another person or themselves again brings the issue of firearm safety to the forefront. Firearm violence has become a public health crisis in the United States. Guns are widely available in our society and are kept in millions of American homes. According to the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, almost 8.7 million chil­dren and adolescents have access to handguns, and many are either unaware of or ignore the possible consequences of handling these lethal weapons.  

School-age children and adolescents are curious about and often attracted to guns. They sometimes see guns as symbols of power.  

The availability of handguns in settings where children live and play has led to a devastating toll in human lives, reflected in some sobering statistics: every two hours, someone’s child is killed with a gun, ei­ther in a homicide, a suicide, or as a result of an unintentional injury. In addition, an unknown but large number of children are seriously injured—of­ten irreversibly disabled—by guns but survive. Major trauma centers are reporting an increase of 300 percent in the number of children treated for gunshot wounds; in fact, one in every twenty-five admissions to pediatric trauma centers in the United States is due to gunshot wounds.

A gun in the home is forty-three times more likely to be used to kill a friend or family member than a burglar or other criminal. To compound this problem, depressed pre-teenagers and teenagers commit suicide with guns more frequently than by any other means.

We have a constitutional right to own guns.  However, many parents with children in the home choose not to own a gun.  In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents that the best way to keep your children safe from injury or death from guns is to not have a gun in the home.  However, millions of parents choose their legal right to have firearms in their home.  If you are one of these, adhere to these rules for gun safety:

·Never allow your child access to your gun(s). No matter how much in­struction you may give him or her, a youngster up through the middle years is not mature and responsible  enough to handle a potentially lethal weapon.

·Guns (preferably unloaded) and ammunition should be locked away safely in separate locations in the house; and make sure children don’t have access to the keys.

·Guns should be equipped with trigger locks.

·Be a good role model for your kids.  When using a gun for hunting or target practice, learn how to operate it before ever loading it. Never point the gun at another person, and keep the safety catch in place until you are ready to fire it. Before setting the gun down, always unload it. Do not use alcohol or drugs while you are shooting.

·Gun cleaning supplies, which are often poisonous, should also be kept out of reach. 

Even if you don’t have guns in your own home, that won’t eliminate your child’s risks. Half of the homes in the United States contain firearms, and more than a third of all accidental shootings of children take place in the homes of their friends, neighbors, or relatives.

Here is some important information you need to communicate to your youngsters:

·Let them know that risks of gun injuries may exist in places they visit and play.

Tell them that if they see or encounter a gun in a friend’s home or else­where, they must steer clear of it, and tell you about it.  Talk with the parents of your child’s friends, and find out if they have firearms in their home. If they do, try to find out in a respectful way if they keep them unloaded, locked up, and inaccessible to children.

·When a child is old enough to interact with others, even if he doesn’t speak yet, he probably has a good idea of what guns are.  According to the National Institute on Media and Family, the average child sees 200,000 violent acts on television (including 40,000 murders) by high school graduation. These numbers do not include what children see in movies or on the Internet.  Make sure your child understands that violence on TV, in the movies, and online is not real. Children need to be told—and reminded again and again and again—that in real life, children are killed and hurt badly by guns. Al­though the popular media often romanticize gun use, youngsters must learn that these weapons can be extremely dangerous.   

·The Eddie Eagle Program of the National Rifle Association offers the following four-step approach to gun safety for kids: stop, don’t touch, get away, and tell an adult.  Kids also need to be reminded of these 4 steps over and over again.

Your priority as a parent must be to protect your children from harm.  If you have questions or concerns about this issue, discuss it with your child’s pediatrician.