Posts tagged Parenting
How And When Do I Talk With My Kids About Alcohol And Drugs

The Child Mind Institute has created this exceptional video addressing how and when to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol.  Parents are generally pretty clear that the conversation must be had, but we can easily push it off out of fear, or because we really don’t have a clear script in mind and don’t know what to expect.  Oftentimes, our parents did not have this conversation with us, and we have no role models in how to proceed.  This video not only gives terrific talking points, but acknowledges how difficult it can be, and provides strategies for keeping the lines of communication open.
Some highlights from the (7 minute) video are:

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Parents Talk With Alysson Pereira: Sexting and Cyberbullying Awareness Advocate

Allyson Pereira was a “good girl” who got involved with a very popular boy, who then broke up with her. He asked her for a nude photo with a promise to get back together. She made a terrible choice, but one many adults can understand, and she sent the photo. Her life was forever changed. She came to discuss her experiences with current 7th and 8th grade students during the school day, and the Pelham parent community in the evening.

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Teenage Drinking is More Complicated Than It Seems

By Melissa Ronan, LMSW, Pelham Together Executive Board Member, and Chair of the Pelham Together Mental Health Committee

It’s not just that your teen is drinking. The bigger issue with teenage drinking is that many kids drink to cope instead of learning to cope. And teens with mental health problems often drink to self-medicate, camouflaging the symptoms of underlying issues that are developing. Studies show that the later kids start drinking, the less likely they are to ever develop a substance abuse problem. So delaying or minimizing teen drinking has significant long-term benefits to their physical and emotional well-being.

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Bullying Prevention and Intervention: What Works and What Doesn't

On March 8, 2023, Make Caring Common of Harvard University hosted a webinar with bullying expert, Dr. Dorothy Espelage, to discuss bullying prevention and intervention. It was EXCELLENT. Check out a write up of key takeaways—including a discussion of what is bullying? What does and doesn’t work to prevent it?—and a recording of the full webinar is at the end.

This event was chocked full of resources, recommendations, and fabulous information for parents, schools, and communities.

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Rosalind Wiseman Talks Bullying With Middle School Parents

On March 1st middle school parents gathered in the MS Library to hear Rosalind Wiseman, noted author and bullying prevention expert, talk about bullying and our kids’ peer-to-peer relationships. Some key points she made were the difference between treating people with dignity vs respect, and what motivates young people to make healthy and considerate choices (hint: feeling proud and avoidance of being ‘called out’ negatively are big). The Q&A was robust, and we all left wanting more.

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