Hi, I couldn't think of another place to find out information about this question I have so I thought maybe some moms here have daughters in girl scouts and could help me. My daughter is 5 and in her first year (she is a daisy). Well her leader tonight pulled out a book that she bought for us to go through with the girls about being drug free. Am I the only person that thinks that's crazy at 5 years old?? Just curious if anyone else has done anything like this and what age.
Yikes! drug free 5 year olds? I'm not sure I would be comfortable with that. I prefer to approach this subject a little at a time about age 8,but as a study on healthy living in gereral. to me this goes along with nutritious food choices, plenty of sleep,hygiene,good grooming, self-confidence,etc. when all these things are in place, illegal drugs are just another bad choice to be avoided.
Well I think the study is actually all about healthy living with an emphasis on being drug free but my 5 year old has no idea what drugs are and I don't think she needs to know right now.
I don't have a daughter so I hop eyou don't mind me answering this question to help you see another side of things ( maybe). Drugs come in many forms not just the street drugs that you may be thinking of. Prescriptions are also drugs and many people have these right in their homes. If it is promoting safety about drugs ( like the lessons that some prescription drugs may look like candy) then I would at least go over some of it with her. I guess it is a hard question to answer without reading the book.
Why don't you read through the book and see if you think the material will scare her in any way. If not then go ahead and let her do the study. She may be too young to understand it all and then again a little seed will be planted to help her understand about good and bad drugs in the future. Whatever you decide don't feel like your daughter has to do everything the group does in GS. My grandmother was my GS leader when I was a kid and she never asked anyone to do anything they were not ready to do. She challenged us, but never forced us to go into something until we were ready.
Children that age do have the idea that medication can help. I would discuss that medication taken wrong can make us very sick. That's why we NEVER take ANY meds, unless given to us by a trusted adult. If you find any laying around the house (and I'm thinking her of visiting at G'ma's, who perhaps is older and not use to having kids around), you leave them alone, or tell an adult. That sort of thing. Actually, I went over that in the co-op class the other day. A little boy of about five said something dealing with meds, saying it in a way of "I'm a big boy and can do this by myself!!!" attitude, so I jumped in and said something.
I did teach my children about drugs when they were preschoolers - primarily from a safety perspective (ie. stay clear of Auntie's meds and don't chug that whole bottle of Flintstone vitamins!), but also touching on alcohol and smoking, since they saw those in the world around us. I also talked to them about other things that were way over their heads, using the philosophy that I was "planting a seed". For example, the first time I discussed sex with my daughter was when I was pregnant with my son - and she was only 18 months old! It was very general - Daddy gives mommy a seed and then inside Mommy an egg grows into your baby brother - but it did make later discussions easier. Especially when she was about five and suddenly asked, "Wait, how exactly does Daddy's seed get into Mommy?" That's when I got to point to the jar of (very amorous) sea monkeys on the table. I don't think five is too young to discuss ANY topic, assuming you approach it with sensitivity. Innocence is never destroyed by information - in fact, knowledge will give your child the tools she needs to protect her innocence and not be led blindly into danger. Read the book and decide for yourself if you think you can discuss it with her. I'll just say it's much easier to start the conversation now, when it's all theoretical, rather than later when your child may already have developed their own ideas on the topic.
Well this is the sort of thing you have to talk about LONG before the kid has the chance to encounter it... and at 5, they are starting to do things without their parents, right? So the chance to encounter it is there.
We talk openly about drugs, alcohol, and smoking with our little kids, as well as with Garrett. I never realized just how bad the drug issue is in this country until I worked at a convience store in a small quiet town for a few years. The number of blunts we sold was unreal.. and getting to know my customers I learned that pot wasn't the biggest issue in our neighborhood! The kid across the street from my house was a heroine addict (I had NO clue!), crack was sold right in front of our store (quite often) etc. I think it's really really important to make sure kids are well educated at a young age.. kids are doing EVERYTHING younger and younger.
Jackie, You are so right about the Gma's house idea. Our oldest went into Freddy's mother's bedroom when he was about two years old. I started to go after him and she said, "It's okay there is nothing in there he can hurt or get hurt with." I sat back down because she acted like I didn't trust her. In just a minute he came out with blue around his mouth. I grabbed him and looked in his mouth and Gma. said, "Oh I forgot about my blood pressure pill on the night stand!" I was so scared and we were getting ready to take him to the ER when my father in law found the pill on the floor beside the bed. Matthew had spit it out when he tasted it. The hospital said the coating did not hurt him. We were very blessed that day and I never let him wander in anyone's home again!
Is this book called In the Zone or something like that? My Jeannie did such a book when she was a Daisy. I also wondered about showing that to a 5 yr old, but allowed her to do it with her troop. It's not an awful book, but I understand your point. Our health this year covered things I thought were better for an older child, like inhalants and the like. Jeannie will be 10 in September, and I was not excited to present that material.
THey did the same thing with the cub scouts-but it was more if they are aware of bad people, or bad things, they can make good choices. We didn't discuss drugs (or sexual abuse or kidnapping or anything horrible)....but more "be aware that bad people exist and that you can make really good choices." It went over well.
Personally, I don't think it's too young. I had the drug talk (prescription and street) at 5 with my son. I've seen news stories about kids as young as 8 being involved in drugs (lookout, running, and using) I'd rather he learn there are bad things in the world at 5 year old, and how to handle the situation, than have no idea what to do in a situation at 8 years old cause I 'sheltered' him (for lack of a better word) For the drug talk, I had him scream "NO! DRUG ARE BAD FOR YOU!" (as to what he is to do if someone offers him some)
Hahahahaha Sonita!!!-that's what I had them do for the stranger danger in the bathroom thing.... (they go together to public restrooms-but should someone "approach" them in the restroom)...."NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! I DON'T KNOW YOU!" (then I let them run down the hall like they would run from the bathroom.....my son went running with his pants around his ankles because he swore he wouldn't stop to pull up his pants!!!
LOL brandy! That's great! That's a story for future girlfriends! LOL I probably need to have the stranger danger in the bathroom talk with my 6 year old...I just still make him use the womens if daddy isn't around to take him to the mens...he's getting a bit too old for that I suppose........
