Quite a bit of text. BUT PLEASE READ. PLEASE?

im afraid i wont be able to protect my son from peer pressure



ok... im 19, and i have not tried any drugs or smoking or any of that ****.



but i see the way the world works, and quite frankly, I see myself as a very clear minded person with very strong moral fabric... ever since a stranger was being nice to me as a kid... and i figured he was too nice (I was 7 and my conscience told me to run away). Im glad I did, and am proud of all the right decisions I was able to make even as a kid.



Drugs are more integrated in highschool with each passing year (i know because i see it happen). At first it was the occasional one or two students.... now half the school of any school does weed.

im very afraid and need to know if there will be any clean schools left some 25 years from now when my child is in highschool.

Quite a bit of text. BUT PLEASE READ. PLEASE?
I have raised three sons. The most important thing you can do is to stay involved in their lives. I don't mean a passing interest, or a brief good night when you get home.



I mean stay really involved. Be there. For school functions, volunteer work. Make sure that he stays involved in outside activities. Give him opportunities to explore new interests, and share in them with him. Baseball, Little League, Football, Tennis, or even Chess Club. If you are interested, he will stay interested.



Communicate. Keep yourself aware of what is going on with kids his age. If that means visiting websites, and listening to whatever the current music trend is, so be it. Talk to your child as you would talk to a friend.



No, I do not mean you should be his friend, you should always be a parent first. What I do mean is, don't be dismissive. Be open to discussion and respect that he is trying to communicate something important to you. Even if it seems trivial in your eyes, it may be very painful and important to him. Ask his opinion, and keep an open mind.



Be open to new ideas, and don't put limits on what you are willing to discuss. Teach him to think for himself. Encourage confidence by teaching him to do things for himself, and allow him to make mistakes without judgement.



If you show him you are confident of his decisions, he will be more confident in himself and his place in this world, and thus less likely to succumb to peer pressure.



Allow for privacy and do not cross boundaries that he is not comfortable with, as long as those boundaries do not interfere with your natural protective instincts as a parent. Sometimes the issue must be forced and brought out into the open.



Remember always that his self worth will be largely formed by his relationship to you and his mother. Guard it like a sacred stone, for it will keep him strong in times of temptation and strife.



Give him a good and strong foundation of the values which you speak of, and give him much positive re-enforcement when he succeeds. Be there when he fails with kindness and support instead of judgement and recrimination.



You have taken the first step by bringing this precious life into this world. Make it a happy and safe place for him to be.



Good luck to you and your family.
Reply:just raise him like you were raised and things will be fine. i hope half the school isn't doing drugs, it may just seem that way so every one looks cool. i know i lied about drinking when i was in school so some one would like me.
Reply:well i live in texas and down here we have things called "magnet high schools" where u have to apply to get into. if ur kid does good in school have him apply to a magnet school. i assure u they are filled with nerds and no one has weed there.. lol
Reply:I have 3 boys and think about the same thing. There are so many drugs kids will try to get high; cough med. aerosol cans, read in the news paper , kids were hanging their self to near death to get a rush, and a cop told me about kids burning and sniffing the fums of duck tape. All we can do is talk about from when they are young, so it will pounded in their head. I think that's were some people go wrong at, they don't talk enough about it, cause they think they child will never do it. Now days it's the richest of the rich, who are popping pills.