Katie1
05-29-2006, 10:09 AM
I hope I can say this right. I have been wondering lately if there is more to getting kids to stay away from drugs and smoking later in life than just telling them that it's bad. For instance, if I try to instill in my child the importance of a healthy body (eating right, drinking water, exercising), will that give her an edge when she gets older and is faced with the possibility of trying these things? I wonder if I can develop in her this idea that having a healthy body is a wonderful thing, and therefore she will say no to drugs not just because mom & dad say no but also because she won't want to ruin her body that way?
So, does anyone know of any studies that have been done comparing kids who were raised to respect their bodies versus those who weren't, and whether it affected future abuse of the body through drugs or smoking?
Also, on the topic of alcohol: FH and I like to drink. We have a drink nearly every night, but we don't get drunk. My FH is from Europe, where the legal drinking age is 18. We both feel that the drinking age of 21 causes alcohol to be seen as a "forbidden fruit" and leads to irresponsible drinking, whereas if teenagers are allowed to drink once in a while they won't feel the need to sneak around, overindulge, and drink to be cool. Do you think that we will be able to teach our children to respect their bodies by staying away from drugs and smoking if we let them see us drinking every day? Or are these things unrelated?
FYI, we don't smoke or do any drugs, and we try to eat a healthy diet as well as exercise regularly, although we are not fanatical about our diet and do allow ourselves some junk food here and there.
So, does anyone know of any studies that have been done comparing kids who were raised to respect their bodies versus those who weren't, and whether it affected future abuse of the body through drugs or smoking?
Also, on the topic of alcohol: FH and I like to drink. We have a drink nearly every night, but we don't get drunk. My FH is from Europe, where the legal drinking age is 18. We both feel that the drinking age of 21 causes alcohol to be seen as a "forbidden fruit" and leads to irresponsible drinking, whereas if teenagers are allowed to drink once in a while they won't feel the need to sneak around, overindulge, and drink to be cool. Do you think that we will be able to teach our children to respect their bodies by staying away from drugs and smoking if we let them see us drinking every day? Or are these things unrelated?
FYI, we don't smoke or do any drugs, and we try to eat a healthy diet as well as exercise regularly, although we are not fanatical about our diet and do allow ourselves some junk food here and there.