Myths & Facts About Marijuana

Quarterly Newsletter Parenting Matters October 2006 “The only way to keep your children from going astray is for them to have a role model they can respect.” For Colorado Parents Myths & Facts About Marijuana Do you know the facts about marijuana? Here are some common myths. MYTH: Marijuana is harmless. used illicit drug among youth today and is more potent than ever. Marijuana use can lead to a host of significant health, social, learning, and behavioral problems at a crucial time in a young person’s development. Getting high also impairs judgment, which can lead to risky decisions making on issues like sex, criminal activity, or riding with someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to the National center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, teens who use drugs are five times more likely to have sex than teens who do not use drugs. Getting high also contributes to general apathy, irresponsible behavior, and risky choices. a concerned parent having sex, getting in trouble with the law, or losing scholarship money. Marijuana can also hurt academic achievement and puts kids at risk for depression and anxiety. FACT: Marijuana is the most widely MYTH: Marijuana isn’t as popular as MYTH: There’s not much parents can do to stop their kids from “experimenting” with marijuana. other drugs like ecstasy among teens today. FACT: Kids use marijuana far more than FACT: Most parents are surprised to any other illicit drug. Among kids who use drugs, 60 percent use only marijuana. learn that they are the most powerful influence on their children when it comes to drugs. But, it’s true, so this message needs to start with parents. Kids need to hear how risky marijuana use can be. They need to know how damaging it can be to their lives. And they need to begin by listening to someone they trust. By staying involved, knowing what their kids are doing, and setting limits with clear rules and consequences, parents can keep their kids drug-free. MYTH: Young kids won’t be exposed to marijuana FACT: Not only are they exposed to marijuana, they are using it. Between 1991 and 2001, the number of 8th graders who used marijuana doubled from one in 10 to one in five. MYTH: Parents who experimented MYTH: You can’t get addicted to marijuana. beliefs. Kids can get hooked on pot. Research shows that marijuana use can lead to addiction. Each year, more kids enter treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined. Tell Your Kids to Say No... Even if You Didn’t MYTH: There are no long-term consequences to marijuana use. with marijuana in their youth would be hypocrites if they told their kids not to try it. FACT: Don’t be fooled by popular FACT: Parents need to make their own decisions about whether to talk to their children about their own drug use. But parents can tell their kids that much more is known today about the serious health and social consequences of using marijuana. FACT: Research shows that kids who smoke marijuana engage in risky behavior that can jeopardize their futures, like Source: www.theantidrug.com PARENTING MATTERS, PREVENTION WORKS Parenting Matters 2 October 2006 SeaSonal Fun For the whole Family Consider the many ways you can spend time with your family, doing one fo the following suggestions. It’s easy, fun and doesn’t cost a cent! •Keep a record of the moon in October. Look at the moon every night and draw what it looks like. •Take a walk and look for signs of fall. See if your child can identify the trees “Child-led Learning” by Bridget Ohl Autumn is the perfect time to uncover the world as a “classroom”. With colors changing, leaves falling, temperatures dropping, and the like, nature lends itself well to discoveries. You may ask...”why is child-led learning” so important, especially at the pre-school level? Childled learning respects the natural curiosity and interest that your child has for the world around him. You notice your five-yearold daughter running around the yard, gathering seeds in a bag. She brings them into the house and divides them into piles. You might feel upset or even dismiss the collection as “just seeds”. But, to take advantage of this child-led learning, view this as an opportunity for discovery and encouragement. you pass on your walk. Collect fallen leaves. •Make a displace of edible seeds. Paste them on cardboard and identify them. •Make a leaf rubbing. Place the leaf on newspaper. Cover with thin paper and rub with crayon. Parent Quiz Are You Doing What You Can to Prevent Childhood Injuries? Mark which below are true: ____ 1. Everyone in our family wears a bike helmet when we are riding. ____ 2. We buckle up our seat belts everytime we go in the car. ____ 3. We have posted emergency numbers near the telephone. ____ 4. My child knows to look to the left, right and left again before crossing any street. ____ 5. My child knows how to get on and off the school bus sagely-always walking in front of the bus so the driver can see. “Children aren’t fooled. They know we give time to the things we love.” --Author John Bradshaw Available in Spanish by request Parenting Matters Published quarterly by Partners in Parenting Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Project Director Christine Cerbana Editor: Bridget S. Ohl Questions or comments? Call us at (800) 457-2736 How did you score? PARENTING MATTERS, PREVENTION WORKS Parenting Matters 3 October 2006 DeFining FooD ALLergies Any food can cause an allergic reaction, but 90% of all food allergies are caused by one of the following: wheat, eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, or fish and shell fish. The FDA estimates 2 percent of adults and up to 8 percent of young children suffer from food allergies. Each year, about 30,000 people require emergency room treatment for food allergies and an estimated 150 die. Food allergy symptoms can range from mild to life threatening and may include: • hives • itching • swelling of the face, lips, tongue and/or eyes • diarrhea • vomiting • cramps • itching and tightness of throat • difficulty breathing • wheezing • in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock. Anaphylactic shock is a severe allergic reaction that often includes swelling of the face, lips, mouth and throat and it can lead to a drop in blood pressure, shock and unconsciousness. If not treated immediately with epinephrine, anaphylaxis can be fatal. Some children may outgrow their food allergy. sourCe: www.ALLergykiDs.CoM • Fathers and Youth Sports OBSERVATIONS by Rich Batten Family and Consumer Science Agent Douglas County Colorado State University Cooperative Extension If you have a child older than four years of age you have most likely been exposed to some form of organized youth sports. Be they coaches, assistant coaches, commissioners, or parent and spectator, dads play an important role in youth sports. As coaches, dads have an opportunity to help children develop physical skills, social competence, and character. But are youth sports getting out of hand? Are we expecting too much of our children at too young of age? MYTHS Commonly held myths by parents include: • The younger your child joins a traveling team, the better. • The very best time to teach your youngster how to improve their play is immediately after the game; ideally in the car ride on the way home. • A youngster who is a top athlete among his or her peers at age 8 is clearly destined to be a star when they’re 18. • Sportsmanship is something that can only be taught by your child’s coach. • The vast majority of moms and dads tend to be honest and fairly objective about their child’s ability in sports. Source: Rick Wolff, Center for Sports Parenting www.sportsparenting.org Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics include: • • Organized sports programs for youngsters should complement, not replace, regular physical activity and free play. Limit the emphasis placed on all-star teams, tournaments, trophies and the like. Despite good intentions, these do not necessarily enhance the child’s enjoyment of the sport. Watch for possible stress caused by the demands of a sport that exceeds a child’s cognitive and physical development. This can lead to feelings of failure and frustration in the youth. Although there are potential benefits to playing organized sports, there is no agreement that it is in the best interest of preadolescent youth. • In short, take care not to place unrealistic parental expectations on your child! Let your child decide the level of participation and be willing to set aside your own dreams and goals for the sake of the child. Article edited for publication purposes. PARENTING MATTERS, PREVENTION WORKS Parenting Matters 4 October 2006 Halloween Safety...For Children and Parents There are many ways to keep your children safe at Halloween, when they are more prone to accidents and Injuries. The excitement of children and adults at this time of year sometimes makes them forget to be careful. Simple common sense can do a lot to stop any tragedies from happening. • Help your child pick out or make a costume that will be safe. Make it fire proof, the eye holes should be large enough for good peripheral vision. • If you set jack-o-lanterns on your porch with candles in them, make sure they are far enough out of the way so that costumes won’t accidentally be set on fire. • Make sure props, such as a scythe, butcher knife or pitchfork, have smooth tips and are flexible enough to not cause injury. • Kids always want to help with pumpkin carving. Small children shouldn’t be allowed to use a sharp knife to cut the top or the face. Look for kits designed for safety and ease Or better yet, have the kids clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it, which you can carve for them. Be sure you teach your kids basic safety such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers and watching both ways before crossing the streets. Also, set a time for them to be home. Know their route for trick-or-treating, or take them yourself. This is the best bet! Make Halloween a fun, safe and happy time for your kids and they’ll carry on the tradition that you taught them to their own families some day! PARENTING MATTERS, PREVENTION WORKS Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. Cooperative Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. Adapted from www.halloween-safety.com www.coopext.colostate.edu/CFERT Colorado State University Cooperative Extension 135 Aylesworth Hall NW Fort Collins, CO 80523 (800) 457-2736 Produced by PARTNERS IN PARENTING (PIP) A program of Colorado Family Education, Resources and Training with funding from the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Division and CSAP. Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID FORT COLLINS, CO 80523 PERMIT NO. 19