Let the Prevention Council keep track of the ever-changing trends in prevention. All you need to do is check back every so often for a new piece of advice on topics such as bullying, substance abuse, parenting skills, communicating with your kids, and more. Have a question or suggestion you'd like to see addressed here? Let us know!
With thanks to Teri Christensen at ThePartnershipatDrugFree.org: 1. Regularly talk about what true friendship means, and the qualities that are important in a friend. 2. Help your child recognize behaviors that do not make a good friend. 3. Let your child know if you disapprove of one of his or her friends (or a group of friends) and explain why. 4. Try to be a good role model and use your own relationships to show how healthy friendships look and feel. 5. Get to know the parents of your children's friends. 6. Talk to your child frequently -- about everything from events of the day to his hope and dreams to dealing with peer pressure. 7. Know who your kids are hanging out with. (You don’t need to be nosy about it, but let your kids know that you have the right to check their phones, email and text messages if you feel you need to.) 8. Remind your child that that you are always there to lend an ear. Some reputable bloggers have written on this topic as well: Blogger and friendship expert Dr. Irene S. Levine offers tips on cheering your child up when a friend lets her down. Don’t like your child’s friends? Mom blogger Jenny Runkel offers 3 things you can do. Ask these 20 questions to find out if your teen has a toxic friend. Mom blogger Lisa Frederiksen shares this important parenting reminder: Teens Learn Best When the Going Gets Tough.