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Red Ribbon Week is on the horizon. Are you ready? The primary goal of this week-long event is to raise awareness about the dangers of bullies, tobacco use and drug use. If you have children, this event is the perfect opportunity to encourage them to lead drug- and tobacco-free lives. It’s also a great time to teach them about bullies and how to cope with them. If you’ve never given these matters a lot of thought, you may be unsure about how to participate. Look below for a few handy Red Ribbon Week ideas.

Start Early
If your kids are really young, you may think that there’s no need to worry about these kinds of things. Nothing could be further from the truth. The sooner you start, the more likely your efforts are to have a positive impact. When kids grow up being spoken to honestly about topics like drug use, tobacco use and bullying, they are more likely to develop the skills they need to cope with these issues in the future. Don’t let the fact that your children are young prevent you from speaking with them about these matters.

Be Encouraging
No one likes being lectured. If you periodically rattle off dry, boring reasons why your child needs to avoid drugs, tobacco and bullying, your message is less likely to register. A better approach is to be as encouraging as possible. Make a point of talking about the positive benefits of staying drug-free and tobacco-free. Explain why it’s better not to bully others and how it can pay off in the long run. Try to come up with examples that your child can easily grasp and internalize. Make it clear that using drugs and tobacco and bullying others come with very serious consequences.

Lead by Example
Even if you put these Red Ribbon Week ideas to use,

they’re bound to fall flat if you’re not leading by example. How can you expect your child to avoid tobacco and drugs, for example, if you abuse them yourself? Similarly, how can you expect your child to be kind to others if you don’t do so yourself? Kids look to their parents to see how to get by in the world. By leading a drug- and tobacco-free life yourself, you’ll be doing a great deal to ensure that your child follows suit. It really is as simple as that.

Citations:
  • one self serving link All Images credited from positivepromotions.com

Michele Filipkowski is part of a team of elite writers that have contributed to hundreds of blogs and websites. Follow her @micheleashley89.