January 2012 Safe Homes Newsletter continued...
Here are some tips from the Drug Alliance to help keep the lines of communication open:
Ten Tips to Boost Parent/Child Communication:
1. Get in the habit of chatting about the everyday stuff with your child before jumping into
potentially intense conversations.
2. Demonstrate your genuine interest in what your child has to say by listening with your
full attention.
3. Be respectful of your child’s feelings and viewpoint, even when you do not necessarily
agree. He/she will then be much more likely to return the favor.
4. Choose your words carefully and be aware of your body language. If you show shock or
disgust by what your child has shared, you will have ended the conversation.
5. Be mindful of your tone of voice. It’s not just what we say, but how we say it.
6. Avoid interrupting and lecturing. These are also proven conversation busters.
7. You must know the facts about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and share them
truthfully.
8. Skip the scare tactics. According to prevention experts, they are not effective.
9. Take advantage of teachable moments: For example, you are in the car with your child,
with the radio on. You’ve got a captive audience, so try talking about that alcohol ad you
both just heard.
10. Last but not least, control your emotions. If the talk gets heated and you display anger,
your child is likely to go into fight or flight mode…neither of which will benefit anyone.
Let’s help our youth make positive, healthy choices in 2012 simply by making the effort to strengthen communication with them. This is one resolution we can keep!
For more information, contact Kelley Grigg at 467-4099.