June 26^th is observed as International Day against Drug Abuse and the theme for the year is “Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow safe”

When it comes to drug abuse or any habit we fear our children or young people might pick up, the instant reaction is to worry about how to talk to them about it.

How would we explain to them that they should not do drugs? How would we explain the side effects of doing drugs? How do we sit them down and tell them some habits can potentially damage their future?

While we worry a lot about what we would say to them, we forget the most important aspect of educating our children – LISTENING!

Listening is the first step to help your children and here are 4 reasons why listening is critical to prevent your children from falling into the trap of drugs or other similar situations.

1. Listening helps them feel understood

While we are busy giving out words of wisdom, we forget that our children on the other side want to be heard. Taking that time to simply sit and understand what they are thinking gives them the much-needed impetus to trust.

 

2. Listening helps you identify problems

Listening to their stories means switching off from whatever you are doing and giving your complete attention to what they are saying, their body language and how they feel. This will help you see if anything is wrong with them and identify red flags earlier than later!

 

3. Listening gives perspective

If you think something is amiss with your kids – Listen to what they are saying and sometimes not saying! This will help you understand not just the problem but also understand the problem from their perspective. It will give you a world of information to help solve any trouble they might have.

 

4. Listen without any expectations

Good listening is something that is done without a motive – if you have a motive that you wish to achieve through listening whether it is to give solutions or extract information, you might not get much done. Listen for the sake of listening and for being there for your children and that is exactly the kind of listening that will help you and them the most.

 

References:

https://www.unodc.org/listenfirst/