Stay Calm

When my children say something upsetting to me staying calm is usually the furthest thing from my mind.  I tend to overreact about things and get really stressed out.  I have learned over time that staying calm really does make things better.  In the case of drugs and alcohol, staying calm is necessary so that you can build a relationship with your child so that they come to you when they find themselves in a bad situation.  They might also approach you if they get offered drugs or alcohol, so make sure that you keep calm when talking about these things no matter what your child says.