" Role Model"

More and More cases have been brought up about how children are being raised by their siblings rather then their parents. In most cases the parents are substance abusers and the siblings are old enough to be proper role models. On the other hand alot of government officals and physciatrists are concerned with that descion. Some feel as if it is a mere part of adolesence that they experience new things and have the descion to make between wrong and right but what if their descion is wrong and they too begin abusing alcohol, where does that leave the child? According to an article in BIO MEDICINE the percentage of children who are early substance abusers that have older siblings is alot higher then those who dont have older siblings. I agree and dont agree with this but if its shown more around the house hold its more likely that the children will feel oblidged to try " the new things".

Sweet Poison!

I am currently babysitting right now and something just occured that I found so disturbing that i had to publish a post! I am babysitting and we went to the corner store to get candy like we normally do everyday after they get off the bus stop. They had a big sign on the window today saying that they had a candy sale. When we walked it they had a huge box it had one pack of candy left in it. When i looked in I got so agrivated when i saw what type of candy they had almost sold out of. It was candy ciggarettes, not like the ones that we had when we were younger but they looked exactly like real cigarettes and the box they were in represented the same box of marbolro reds. When I asked the store manager why they were still selling these they said that its their most popular one and the children that recieves them are so young and he couldnt believe it! I know that we also had them around when we were young but as time got older they became much more realistic and if thats not promoting kids to smoke then what is? They are so for the truth commericals and everything but they still produce candy ciggarettes come on now!!!

I learned it from...

The average parent wants everything best for their child, correct? They want them to grow up and have everything they want. What they dont realize is, like how i posted in my older post that they do everything that their parents do , monkey see monkey do. Children are at high risk for substance abuse and well as viloent and domestic abuse and can become abusers because of what they and what they reanact. The video below basically explains everything that I've been wanting to get out there.

In 9 years ill be in AA

I came across this video on youtube today. It broke my heart. Its about a child at an AA meeting.. take a look..

Born into it

Most of the bloggs that i have posted have alot to do with what children see and hear and how it can effect them in the long run. What most people dont realize that some children dont have a choice. They are born into it! Children that are victims of fetal alcohol syndrome and drug addicts. If they do survive they have this long addiction that they cant overcome and most of them dont even survive!

Practice what you preach!!

I came upon a website this morning that realy raised my attention. The website was called : Family Guide ; keeping youth mentally healthy and drug free. If you have children or work with children this website would def. interest you. The article I read was called Practice What you Preach!

There was one passage written by a 12 year old it said :
"I'm 12 years old, and I'm supposed to be sleeping right now. It's late on a school night, and I'm scared about being home alone. My parents are out partying with friends. I hope they'll be home soon. I hear them come in since my room is right over the garage. Sometimes my mom peeks in at me, but I pretend I am fast asleep. I just don't want to smell her breath or deal with the way she is when she drinks. She's a different person and I hate it!"

Adults need to realize kids aren't stupid in fact they are smarter then we are! What kind of role model are you trying to be if you are acting like a teen yourself!?

More then 6 million kids live in a household with atleast one parent who is abuses alcohol and /or addicted to an illicit drug! About 10% of the children are under 5.

Another passage I found is a common mistake that parents do that they think they can out smart their children :

"My dad asked me if I smoked up today and gave me a lecture about it. I wanted to laugh in his face. I mean, who does he think he's fooling, acting all protective and concerned? Just last month, I watched him light up after dinner. And then there's that smell that comes from his bedroom door on Sunday afternoons; like I don't know what that is! Anyway, how can he come in here and tell me NOT to do something that I know he does?"

as well as this one :

" You tell your child that she should never get into a car with a driver who has had any alcohol. But when Grandma drives herself home from an office party after having several drinks, what is your child supposed to think? What if that person driving is you or another family member? The old saying, "Do as I say, not as I do," doesn't work if you really want your child to grow up healthy and drug free. Children often see and figure out more than adults realize."

How can you sit there and tell your kid not to do something if they are clearly aware of you or others close to them doing the exact same thing. They look up to you!! So do you want them to lie also? Also most parents or family members who do this have a guilty concience and they try to steer their children away from what the parent/family member themselves is doing wrong. " Oh i told him not to do it" etc.

When a parent has a substance abuse problem not only does it affect the child but it also affects your relationship with the child and their trust in you. Reasearch also shows ( the point im trying to prove) that : children of parents who abuse drugs are more at risk than their peers for delinquency, depression, poor school performance, and alcohol and drug use. Even though its not the only key factor but its something that parents have control over!

Also children who have parents who are addicted to alcohol or illegal drugs are 4x more likely to become addicted as well.

Fact of the matter is be open with your kids and be well aware of your actions and their surroundings. How can you expect them to stay away from drugs and alcohol if its done at home by their "heros" YOU.

YOU DID THIS TO ME!

Yesterday I was at an O.T office with a child that i babysitt for. After she went in I was in the sitting area and I over heard a conversation that was going on in the waiting room that I thought would be in intrest to the rest of you! A mother was on the phone speaking to another person and telling them about her 12 year old daughter ( who by the way was in the room as well ). She began shouting on the phone saying how shes convinced her 12 year old daughter is doing drugs and how she got expelled from school after being caught in the bathroom drinking with 3 other girls. The child you can tell was mortified because she knew everyone in the room an hear and the mother didnt care. She kept going on and on saying how shes never home and shes always at their neighbors house and she swears that shes pregnat and if she isnt shes going to be. What drew me to this conversation was that the daughter was sitting there holding her chain in her hand of a girl that looked just liked her, i assumed it was her twin and she just kept crying, the more she cried the more her mother spoke louder. When she hung up the phone she turned to the girl and began shouting at her and saying how disapointed she was in her and how she didnt bring her up that way and the next thing she said made my heart break. The mother began crying and shouting " IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU WHO DIED NOT LEXII YOU!" The girl turned white and jumped up and shouted YOU DID THIS TO ME, YOU CONSTANTLY COMPARE ME TO LEXI ! ITS NOT MY FAULT SHE HAD CANCER EVER SINCE SHE DIED YOU TURNED ME AWAY, YOU MADE ME DO THIS." Soon after that security came and both mother and daugther were escorted out but I just wanted to reach out to that little girl because she was right. A parent doesnt have to be doing drugs to influence a child to rely on the drugs but actions also hurt and so does silence. This little girl was faced with guilt and pain and frankly I feel like its her mother to blame!

I found my images on flickr.

Did You know?

The world of technology as we know it is expanding and becoming more advanced then anyone thought. According to the the video Did You know on you tube, it explains how our world is advancing in technology. It also, in my perspective tries to open our eyes a little bit and make us realize that the United States is behind the rest of the world in improving child education. I dont think that the video is being zenaphobic I feel as if its actually comparing what the children of the world are achieving and how children in the U.S are far behind. For instance the math that is being taught to children in 8th grade in the U.S is being taught to children in 5th grade in foreign countries. Its not that the video shows a type of fear but more of an acknowledgement of forgien countries and how they are succeeding in preparing the youth for what could happen in the future rather than what is happening right now or what happend before. Our world as we know it will be completly made up of internet usage and other technological studies. By the rate things are improving our children will be the generation of flying cars! I agree with this video and found it very interesting because the U.S is slacking, Europe and other countries are way ahead of us be we're scared to admit it! The video below is the video that I am adressing in my post..

risk factors

A child isn't going to be inloved in drugs and alcohol only because of their parents but their are many risk factors that take place that can lead a child to depend on drugs to " comfort them". According to the Nation Drug Control Policy there are 3 most common types of risk factors that can increase the chances that children will turn to alcohol, tabacco and illegal drugs. The risk factors are :

1. Child Risk Factors such as ADHD, serious behavior problems, violent acting out, or being rebelious.


2. Family Risk Factors which include communication difficulties, to much or to little discipline, parents substance abuse in front of children, or the way they act after consuming alcohol, drugs etc, child abuse or neglect.


3. Enviornemental Risk factors such as peer rejection, law enforcement of purchase-by-minors laws, extreme poverty, neighborhood crime, and failure to do well in school.

Just because one of these factors are present doesnt mean it will def. lead to drug use but they are more likely to do so if they occur during childhood or are faced with more than one risk factor.

Save a future, Save a life

Creating possitive roles in children's lives can almost predict a brighter future. This is especailly true if they are in an enviornment in which drugs, alcohol, and smoking is second nature to them. Most children who experience substance abuse at an early age or later on have had many influences in their life who have led to the negative outcome. Did you ever stop and think, may be if I help a child by spending time with them , I can help shape their future? Well the answer is you can. The Big Brother Big Sister Organization does just that. Big Brother, Big Sister is a program designed to shape the future of children at risk with mentors , or as they like to call it a " big brother or big sister" . The mentor takes the child that they are matched up with on trips, helps with homework, does crafts, or even just hanging out. Having someone they can depend on and get a positive influence from can help benifit any child that is struggling. Most children taking part in this program are known to be less likely to engage in substance abuse. They are more likely to attend school and get jobs and lead a better life style. They're many other organizations that help children at risk similar to Big Brother , Big Sister such as : The Boys and Girls Club , Stand up for Kids, Free to Grow,and many more. So think about it, Do you think if a child has a certain someone in their life that they can look up to and admire that they can achieve their goals and go on the right path?

I found my images on flickr.

foolish actions have severe consequences

Hey everyone!! If you haven’t noticed already, my blog posts are directed towards children who are at risk for substance abuse and different situations that they experience or may experience. This issue was brought to my attention because of some news that I heard about a girl that I used to go to grammar and high school with. She was always the " troublemaker". She strived for attention and did whatever she could to get it. My clearest memory of her was when we were 15 and a video was going around school of how she got her little sister high. Her sister was in the 2nd grade. She taped the whole thing and sent it to everyone through e-mail. Since then I lost touch with her because I didn’t believe in the influence she was giving her little sister. Recently I heard that her little sister now in 8th grade is 6 months pregnant living with her 20 year old boyfriend. Her mother and father couldn’t control her any longer and thats how she ended up. It got me thinking, if she wasn’t exposed to the drugs and alcohol when she was younger would she be in the 8th grade pregnant? So it goes to show you, its not only a parental influence but also sibling and social influence. This isn’t a rare scenario and it will occur more and more if we don’t help to balance the future of children and get them on the right track!

the photos above were found on flickr.

monkey see , monkey do

Hey everyone! Have you ever been out to dinner and seen families with little children? I’m sure you have! Have you noticed that if the mother is wearing make up and fancy outfit, the little girl is wearing make up and a fancy outfit? Or how about if the father is wearing a baseball cap, there’s a 99% chance the little boy is to! Growing up children use their parents or guardians as their idols and inspiration. They want to be just like them! When asking a boy what he wants to be like when he grows up there’s a great chance he'd answer " a firefighter like my daddy" or if you ask a girl who they want to marry when they grow up, its common for them to answer " I'm going to marry my daddy!" Children often mimic everything their parents do, so what makes drugs and alcohol different? Nothing. There was an article on MSNBC about a study done on children, to find out if their " play behavior" indicates that they are influenced by the actions of their parents. The study consisted of 120 children, both boys and girls. The ages ranged from 2-6. There was a miniature store set up filled with : fruits, vegetables, meats, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, cigarettes, beer and wine. The children were asked to go to the store to pick out items that their Barbie and ken would need to host their social even that evening, like at barbeque or a simple party. Keep in mind that the children were allowed to pick ANYTHING they thought that their Barbie and Ken would need. What they didn't know is that their parents were behind a mirrored window watching. A 4 year old girl chose Barbie sized tobacco and said " I need these for my man, a man needs cigarettes." The study showed that 28% of children bought cigarettes. Children who’s parents smoked were 4 times more likely to buy cigarettes. 61% of children bought alcohol. Children who’s parents drank monthly were 3 times more likely to buy alcohol. Just remember that these children were from the ages of 2-6! It gets you thinking, if they experience this type of behavior at this age, what’s going to happen when they are teens?

pictures above was from flickr.com

Test

This is my first blogg entry!

i read the NY times everyday.

i found this image at flickr.