HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

It is very important to talk to your children about emergency procedures. Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate.  Every age group needs to know to take all alerts seriously, even if it is a drill. 

• Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them.  Give simple examples of school safety like reminding children about exterior doors being locked, child monitoring efforts on the playground, and emergency drills practiced during the school day.

• Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their school. They may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Discuss efforts of school and community leaders to provide safe schools.

• Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence in schools and society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to make school safer and how to prevent tragedies in society. Emphasize the role that students have in maintaining safe schools by following school safety guidelines (e.g. not providing building access to strangers, reporting strangers on campus, reporting threats to the school safety made by students or community members, etc.), communicating any personal safety concerns to school administrators, and accessing support for emotional needs. 

HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT DRUGS

Open discussions about topics like substance use should begin when children are young. The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids website has a ton of useful information, as well as talk kits available for download.

1. Keep it Age -Appropriate - Preschoolers don’t respond to the same logic as older kids and vice versa. The way the brain develops as children grow changes the way they process things.

2. Be Clear About Rules and Reasons - Your kids should have no doubts about where you stand on substance use. Make a definitive rule about not smoking, drinking, or using drugs. Then give them the reasons why it’s so important to follow that rule.

3. Lay Down the Law - What punishments will they face if they smoke, drink, or use drugs? Be consistent in these punishments so there’s no doubt as to what will happen. It also won’t hurt to mention the legal consequences again.

4. Talk About Immediate Consequences (Not Just Punishment) - Cigarette smoking can affect their appearance, hygiene, and attractiveness to their peers (yellow teeth, bad skin, bad breath, coughing, constant cigarette smell). Other teens may not want to be around smokers for these reasons. Drunk driving causes injury and death, but they might be swayed by the fact that they could get their license taken away for a long time, if not permanently.  Substance abuse of all types can affect their athletic performance.

5. Explain Addiction - Emphasize that some things are very difficult to quit using after they start the habit. Some people are not able to stop at all, which leads to tragedy.

6. Don't Stop Talking - Talking to kids about drugs and alcohol is not a one-and-done conversation. You have to keep talking to them about it. Keep having the conversation over and over. Even if they seem exasperated, don’t take that as a sign that they’ve heard enough.