Now is the right time to gain a better awareness of the messages your child is receiving about cannabis, the impacts on your child, and how you can shape the messages you send in the future to encourage healthy choices. Though children are usually not tempted by peer pressure to try cannabis until ages 15-19, they still receive messages and view modeling throughout their childhood that will have a significant impact on whether or not they will be able to make responsible decisions regarding cannabis. As a parent or those in a parenting role, the messages you send and what you model in your child’s early years related to cannabis can prepare them for success. 

Six-year-olds are working to understand what it means to act responsibly. They are figuring out the rules and applying them in various settings. They are:

● working on their independence. 

● gradually gaining independence in caring for their bodies (eating right, getting exercise). 

● learning about relationships (managing their feelings and impulses, empathizing and working through conflict, being dependable, and keeping promises). 

● managing extracurricular activities and homework, and 

● contributing to their household (doing chores, cooperating with expectations and rules). 

As a parent or someone in a parenting role, you play an important role in your child’s success. There are intentional ways to grow a healthy parent-child relationship, and being mindful about daily routines provides an ideal opportunity.

Children are persistently noting differences in the world around them. Parents or those in a parenting role can help children as they make sense of differences among people by talking with them about what they observe.

Adults and children alike feel stress. Stress is the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as pressure at school or being yelled at by a friend who is upset. Feelings of stress are natural mechanisms for human survival and success. These feelings are the body’s way of warning you when there is danger and drawing your attention to problems that need resolving. A stressor can be one-time or ongoing.  Anxiety is the body’s reaction to stress and can occur even if there is not a current threat. If anxiety persists, it can begin to interfere with everyday life and impact your child’s health. As a parent or those in a parenting role, you can guide your child to learn to identify and manage their stress -- a skill they will use throughout life. 

Now is the right time to gain more awareness of the messages your child is receiving about alcohol, the impacts, and how you can shape the messages you send going forward to encourage healthy choices. Children are usually not tempted by peer pressure to drink alcohol until the ages of 11-14. Yet, they still receive messages and modeling throughout their childhood that will have a direct impact on whether or not they will be able to make responsible decisions about alcohol in their later years. As a parent or those in a parenting role, what you model and the messages you send about alcohol in your child’s early years can prepare them for success. 

Confidence simply means self-belief. But where does that confidence come from? It begins with a trusting relationship you work to cultivate with your child. Your bond with your child forms a solid foundation from which your child can explore the world. There are intentional ways to grow a healthy parent-child relationship while building confidence in your child to work toward their goals and succeed in school and life.