Teachable Moments

Watching TV, Listening to Music, Surfing the Net:

TV and radio shows also can be discussion-starters for you and your child. In fact, research shows that teenagers whose parents are aware of the television they watch and the music they listen to are less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs.

Television is a good way to look at the negative and positive portrayals we get every day about drugs, alcohol and tobacco. This is a chance to consider how TV shows, advertisements or music lyrics influence our beliefs about drugs. However, most important, it is also a chance to turn the time into a teachable moment. For example, if a character on a TV show is using drugs, you could start a conversation with any one of these opening lines:

• “I wonder what his family thinks about him getting high?”
  
• “Where do you think this person would end up in life?”
  
• “What do you think her teachers would think? Her neighbors? Her pastor?”
  
• “Why would he do drugs?”

Many parents are concerned about pro-drug messages in television, movies and music. Some parents choose to restrict their children’s access to media content and tell them why.

A lot of parents don’t check their kids’ activities on the Internet. If you have a computer at home, it’s really important that you let your kids know that you’re in charge of their time online. Not only can kids find out about drugs on the Internet (including lot of pro-drug sites), they can also buy them online. If you are surfing the Net with your child and come across some pro-drug sites or sites with drug content, you could ask questions such as:

• “Who are these people trying to sell you on drugs?”
  
• “Do they care about what happens to you while you’re on drugs?”
  
• “How would you know what the drugs are made of?”

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