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"Even parents who have successfully closed the door on the drug-taking chapter of their lives still have a hard time talking to their kids honestly about drugs. And that's the biggest problem we see -- lack of communication."
Gail Thrasher, a drug education prevention specialist at the Chemical Dependency Center, also stresses the importance of communication, as well as being honest and setting firm boundaries. Thrasher oversees the Strengthening Families Program, in which they council parents who are in recovery, as well as their children. "What we often see within the program are parents who want their kids to abstain, but they don't really want to share any information about their own drug use. One of the things we teach parents is to be as honest as you need to be. Tell the stories about the things that happened and how you made bad decisions and how it impacted your life. Don't be so lenient. Be firm, say no. It's really important to keep the lines of communication open. Children are going to want to explore and they're going to talk to somebody, so why not talk to an informed parent?"
In the coming years many boomers are going to get a chance to see their own children's parenting skills. Much like the boomer generation, Generation Y (usually considered those born between 1977 and 1997), also came of age during a time of great change and turmoil. Generation Y has experienced a period of unprecedented economic growth and a booming job market, only to see the whole thing come crashing back down.
They saw the worst act of domestic terrorism in American history broadcast up close and ad nauseam by the ubiquitous media machine. It's a generation dominated by the sophisticated, rapid-fire visuals of MTV and Sony Play Stations, and the unparalleled information access of the Internet. It should be interesting to see how these events and experiences impact and influence how they raise their kids. Today, Boomers are trying to figure out what's up with Ecstasy and Raves. In 20 years, parents could very well be having to contend with Junior donning a virtual reality helmet and downloading a Friday night buzz from his favorite website. Sam Boykin