This guest post was submitted by Addiction Treatment Rehab.
A major concern that parents have today is how to prevent harmful addictions from taking over their children. With the peer pressure that kids are under, many of them are experimenting more and more, and because of that, they are finding themselves getting addicted to things that are harmful to their health and life.
Below are five great tips that can help prevent harmful addictions in children.
Leading by Example
If you have your own addictive behavior, it will become a risk for your child. If you are struggling with addictions, seek help. Your child will respect you more if you choose to get help than to try and ignore the problem.
Parental behavior is the major influence of any child’s behavior later in life. There is an established link between parental addictions and children developing addictive patterns. Instead of instructing your child to do what you tell them, help prevent future addictions by practicing self discipline in your daily life. Your child will more than likely do the same.
Firm Boundaries
The parenting trend has moved from a strict one to a lax one with mixed messages. Being excessively strict or far too lax is unhealthy for any child. This results in children making up their own rules – without parental guidance. Set some fair and appropriate rules for your children.
According to Stanley Martinson, “Emphasize safety and health to your children so that they will understand why they have limits. Always stick to the rules and limits you set.” Be firm, but be loving. Boundaries will help keep your child on a path of stability. It will also help them to feel secure, which will also help them to be able to say no when it comes to addictive behavior.
Stay Involved With Your Child
Children who lack involvement with their parents and are emotionally distant from their parents tend to develop substance abuse disorders. Help prevent addictions by showing an interest in your child’s life and activities. If they have any special interests, a relationship, or special accomplishments, talk to them about these with great interest.
Express feelings of encouragement, pride and joy to your children. Be a parent who is active and involved in your child’s life. By doing this, you will immediately know when something is amiss and can directly take care of the situation before an addictive behavior takes hold.
The Difficult Child
There are plenty of reasons children experience behavioral problems. When a child has a parent with a substance abuse problem, the child is likely to have a difficult temperament. Having a child who is a bit difficult to discipline is hard on the parent. But, inappropriate parenting will put more stress and strain on the child, who is then a higher risk for finding unhealthy ways to cope, such as addictions. Help prevent addictions in your child by not mistreating them when you try to control them. If you struggle with this, get professional help.
Nurture Your Child
One of the more powerful tools for preventing problems with your children is parental warmth. Research shows that when parents express warmth and good feelings toward their child, it can take the place of other parenting weaknesses. A lack of warmth towards your child will result in oppositional behavior. If you notice your child talking back or being resistant, reflect on how you have been interacting with your child recently. Expressions of warmth are as simple as a smile, a hug or the way you look at your child.
Speak life into your children and make it a point to spend time with them. Sitting down and just spending time together when they have had a bad day can be the reason your child decided not to do something that would have initially gotten them into trouble.
Preventing your child from addictions begins with you. If you have an addiction you are struggling with, or if you feel your child is at risk for addicitions, feel free to contact AddictionTreatmentRehab.com for further assistance.
What ways can you help your child steer clear of addictive behaviors?
This guest post was submitted by Addiction Treatment Rehab.
Keeping communication open with you child is always a great way to know whats going on in the life. They might even tell you if they are being pressured into things.
Definitely Tanya! As a former youth worker, I always tell parents the most important thing you can have is a solid relationship with open communication.