Behavior Skill to Prevent Drug Abuse

Behavior Skill to Prevent Drug Abuse

If children had more self-confidence then the occurrence of drug abuse would be less prevalent than it is today. Unfortunately, nobody is born with self-confidence. It is a behavior skill that has to be created and cultivated from a young age.

Can self-confidence be self-created? Yes, but it would be much easier to instill this behavior skill in a young child than to have to cultivate it as an adult.

Teaching children about self-confidence and how to develop it should be a primary concern for parents when their children are young. Children grow up so fast that in the blink of an eye they’re teenagers. If you don’t instill this behavior skill in them before this point in their lives, then you leave them vulnerable to peer pressure, which often plays a role in drug abuse.

What is the best way to help cultivate this behavior skill in your children? Here are some tips to help you instill this behavior skill:

Tip#1: Set an example

When your children are young, before they’ve discovered most of the pop-culture garbage floating around on television and in cyberspace, they look up to you. They may not completely understand self-confidence, but they will recognize it as a behavior in you and attempt to mimic it. This is where success begins.

Tip#2: Teach

Your children are going to come up against two types of people throughout their life. Those who encourage them, and those who discourage them. Unfortunately, they will run into the latter most often. Because of this, it is important that you teach your kids that what others think of them does not matter, especially when what they think of them is negative.

Tip#3: Focus on the positive

Knowing that they are good at something gives children great confidence. These are the areas, where as a parent, you want to focus. There is no need to point out a child’s weaknesses. Kids are smart and most times they are already aware of them; however, it can be a crushing blow to have their parents point it out. Focus on your child’s talents and encourage them. Everything else will come along in its own time.

When kids have a firm grasp on this behavior skill it leaves them better equipped to handle peer pressure and to take criticism in stride as they develop into adults. And as far as drug abuse goes, to borrow a very old saying, it teaches them to “just say no” without worrying about the social repercussions.

Source: http://www.missico.com/personal/thoughts/teaching_kids_to_be_more_self_confident.htm