As we plan for our Holiday events, many are also planning their want lists of wine and spirits, foods and traditions. While making those plans, make time to talk to your kids about the meaning of the season and what is important to you and your family, and then find out what has been important to them in past, present and future Holidays. These times in our lives and theirs, is when we impress on them our traditions and what we truly hold dear. Let us make sure that they know they are part of that, as well as their beliefs and needs during the Holiday.
Talking to our children everyday about the little things will set up conversations in the future, when it may matter more. What we do also matters. More than any “talk” we can have with our children, our behavior and the way we live impresses on them the most. If we want them to clean, then we must clean. If we want them to not lie, then we must not. If we want them to be good people and choose healthy lifestyles and not use alcohol and drugs, then we must also make good and responsible decisions. Show them that just because we are celebrating holidays with friends and families, drinking alcohol is not a necessity. Show responsible behaviors when drinking and making sure that no one is drinking in excess and make sure no one drives when intoxicated. It is also very important to make sure no one underage is allowed to drink. Have a special area for the kids to get their drinks so the temptation is not there and so no one is accidentally given something wrong.
Also, remember, that if you are having a party and other families’ children are there, that you are respecting their beliefs and rules. Social hosting can be a liability as well as a moral obligation that must be acknowledged. Make sure you know what other parents expect and make sure the kids visiting know your rules and consequences if they decide to try to drink. These are the times that our children remember the most, when Holidays are impressed in their memories and minds forever. They will grow up and move on and if we want them to have a good and healthy life and fun traditions, then now is the time they must learn how to live responsibly.
If you would like to learn more about social hosting, how to talk to your kids about alcohol and drug use, suicide or any other issues they may be facing or how to open the lines of communication early, please contact Missy Smies, at 433-4097, [email protected] or check us out on Facebook for ‘Talking Point Thursday” at Richland County STAND. We will also be discussing this at the next Parent Café on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 from noon to 1pm at 102 N. Central, Sidney, MT.
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