Rules and Consequences for Breaking Them Are Important Because... Some Kids Use Drugs To Take Risks and Rebel

Taking risks is part of growing up. Children may take an emotional risk by letting someone know that they don’t like what they are doing. They may take a physical risk by testing their balance climbing up a tree. They may take a social risk by introducing themselves to someone they don’t know.

To grow, a child must learn skills that, as adults, we may take for granted. For example, we may forget how hard it was to go to our first dance. We had to risk that no one would ask us to dance, that we would not be able to dance very well, or that someone would make fun of us. For a child, these are big risks.

As children approach the teen years, almost everything holds some risk because everything feels so new and unexplored. As risks are overcome, most young people continue to look for other new, challenging opportunities.

Parents can help children take healthy risks. These risks may include trying out for a play, joining a community youth group, or going on a survival skills training course. It’s important to do so because youth who don’t grow and learn with positive challenging opportunities may look for other risks to take. However, they will be unclear about boundaries and unsure of rules and expectations. So, if they are not clearly guided into making smart and healthy decisions about these risks, they may think it’s okay to include using alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs as part of that risk-taking they are trying on.

Some youth may think that using these substances will help them prove that “I’m cool. I can handle anything.” This desire to feel grown up, combined with media images of people drinking, smoking, and taking drugs, sends a message to some young people that it’s ok to take this risk.

By stating and enforcing clear rules and expectations about the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs, you can help ensure that your child is less likely to view using drugs or alcohol as an acceptable risk.

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