Raising Drug-Free Kids: 100 Tips for Parents

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a parent, or cares for children of any age. It is easy to read, well laid out, and gives separate chapters which discuss children at different ages, for quick reference. The book highlights what you can do for children to help them avoid the world of drugs and alcohol and the peer pressure they might experience as they become teenagers and young adults. Emphasis is put on what you can do no matter what age your children are, and that it is never too late to begin making changes that will help your children to resist drugs. It also offers advice to parents where children or young adults have already become dependent on drugs. Aside form helping children to avoid drugs and alcohol, this non-punitive approach to parenting helps children to develop into emotionally healthy, co-operative and autonomous adults. Dr Solter is an expert in her field of developmental psychology. She is also the author of three other books; The Aware Baby, Tears and Tantrums, and Helping Young Children Flourish. All of these books are well written, well researched and offer invaluable information and advice to parents and carers, and anyone involved with children and young adults. I have found Dr Solter's approach to parenting both liberating and highly beneficial for my children and myself. Highly recommended reading.

This is a great book! It contains lots of practical tips for parents, and suggestions for how to talk about drugs with kids. This is an innovative cooperative approach.

As a mental health professional, I was impressed by how well grounded in research and developmental theory Dr. Solter's approach was. As the parent of three former teen-agers, I wished I had read her book twenty-five years ago. Dr. Solter provides clear, simple, practical suggestions for innoculating your child against the need for drugs in adolescence, beginning at birth. Her advice is divided into developmentally age-appropriate categories and is specific enough to leave no doubt about how you can handle almost any situation. It is also an easy read, with concise, short (less than two-page) "Tips" arranged in a sequence that builds upon itself logically. She offers the kind of hope and encouragement that all parents need, even demonstrating that "It's never too late," with ideas for relating to your young adult children after they've turned to drugs in their teen years. I have not seen a more user-friendly, hopeful, practical guide to navigating the territory of raising drug-free children. I recommend the book most highly.

Aletha Solter's fourth and latest book is another excellent resource for your parenting tool belt! Packed with a wealth of invaluable tips, "Raising Drug-Free Kids" differs from most parenting advice on the subject. Many parenting books suggest children need more discipline, meaning punishment, for breaking rules or for misbehavior. But strict authoritarian control and punishment, Solter stresses throughout the book, can cause children to harbor anger and resentment and often "teaches" them to hide their feelings from their parents and rebel. A Swiss American developmental psychologist and founder of the Aware Parenting Institute, Solter contends the root cause of most behavioral problems, including substance abuse, is not a lack of "discipline" but rather a lack of connection. She emphasizes that it doesn't matter how much punishment you dole out to them, children who don't have a relationship with at least one loving parent where they feel heard and understood are at risk for substance abuse. Throughout this book the message is consistent: listening, really listening to your children's problems and upsets nonjudgmentally, spending time with them, using a non-punitive approach to discipline and accepting your children's emotions will foster a meaningful connection with them that will both prevent and heal behavioral and emotional problems. She calls this approach Aware Parenting. My husband and I can attest to the benefits of this philosophy. We have a 10-year old son who is about to turn 11. We first came across Solter's work when he was 2 years old. In so many ways, it validated for us what we knew in our hearts was the way to treat children. Her first three books: "Aware Baby;" "Tears and Tantrums: what to do when babies and children cry;" and "Helping Young Children Flourish," lay the groundwork for creating this kind of mutual respect between children and adults. And we have experienced first-hand how effective this approach is in doing that. The close connection we have formed with our son throughout his young life has helped us give him the support he has needed during difficult times. We don't always do it right but we always try to make it right by listening to him and valuing his feelings and needs. He has always amazed us by his awareness and expression of what is really going on with him. We are so grateful as we head into his teen years that we have such a strong connection with him! For us, Solter's latest book couldn't have come at a better time. It's armed with tips on how to give drug-related information to children at different ages and on how to continue to build a strong relationship with your child, one that will help your child resist the onslaught of peer and media pressure to do drugs. From information on addiction and the brain to the signs of depression to teaching your child stress-management skills to learning to communicate your own feelings and needs, this book is a must read for any parent wanting to improve