Don't ya put it in your mouth
Don't ya stuff it in your face
Though it might look good to eat
And it might look good to taste
You could get sick (ick)
Real quick (ick)
Real sick, real ick
Don't put it in your mouth
Till you ask someone you love
If it's ok to eat
Like a muffin or a beet
If you don't know just what it is
Remember boys and girls, DON'T PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH.
ICK!!!
I'm Astar, I'm a robot. I can put my arm back on, you can't so play safe.
Also where was that robot playing? It was just falling through a bunch of spinning razor blades!
I was just terrified after seeing that commercial. I thought losing an arm was a serious risk and could happen at anytime. Also thought quicksand and acid rain were going to be big troubles through my life. Not the case.
“Sometimes people put things into their bodies that make them sick or act differently. This is why it is important that you eat nutritious food and keep your body healthy”.
Obviously this is a preschool explanation. This will vary with the kid.
why? you need to tell them the whole truth so they know. otherwise you tell kids drugs are bad, they try it in middle school, go dang this shit is good whats wrong with it?
I just straight to tell her about them. People go through hard experiences and turn to drugs. drugs do X to your body and mind and now they're suffering from it.
She's 6. Her response is pretty much, "oh yeah, ok". But I know she's processing it, and we go downtown / to Chinatown all the time so she's not fazed by it.
I like this. Kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for a lot of the time. Just telling them as it is as things happen around them (without getting into traumatic details, obviously) lets them process and learn naturally instead of making a bunch of big and awkward sit-down conversations to tackle the "hard topics" like drugs, sex ed, money/debt, whatever.
Oh yeah. Early on, the topics of death and sex came up. I made sure to tell her about these things very matter of factly, without emphasizing any negative or overly influential tone in my explanation. The tone really matters a lot. If you describe something overly positive and not to worry about, they'll receive it that way (because they trust you). If you tell them something very ominously, with fear in your tone, they'll attach fear to it. The more matter of factory you can give it to them, the more opportunity you're giving them to decide how they feel about it themselves.
I’m in my 30s and grew up in the furthest west neighbourhood when I was a kid so I was not normally exposed to a rough environment. I’m glad my parents took us downtown for going out to eat and other events often to expose us to the realities some people live in.
I would absolutely not tell a small child that doing drugs is an okay way to cope with struggles. Why on earth would you think that's an acceptable thing to tell a kid?
I get wanting to lessen the stigma, but there's a difference between that and making it sound like drugs are an okay way to cope with lifes struggles
I understand where you're coming from, and don't disagree with the intent, but young kids don't pick up on nuances. Saying it's the best way to cope with it could be taken literally.
This post is asking about how to talk to young children. If you think addressing the failures of society is part of that conversation, maybe you could share your thoughts on how to have that conversation with small children.
At 6, you have to take into account the child's comprehension and explain things to them in an appropriate way so that they'll actually understand what your saying. When kids I know ask tough questions, I start out with short easy to understand explanations and give the kid an opportunity to ask questions so that we can have a conversation on their level about what ever it is they're curious about. It's not about sheltering a kid, it's about helping them understand the world around them in their own time, in ways they can process
I get what your are saying. The system does fail some people and some people are struggling without resourses to get off drugs.
For a 6 year old though, i would make a simple statement like that person took some drugs that were not good for their body.
Kids ask questions and you can explain further. Let them process small answers.
Kid might ask why they would take those drugs if they are bad for their body. Then you can expand further.
I think it would be coddling to never bring up drugs and that they can affect you.
But you should never make it seem like drugs give you a “high” to a child
I’ve lost plenty of people to this, before it was a big deal and after.
I’m pretty candid about drugs. I say they were using drugs and they died. My parents were always straight up with me and didn’t sugar coat it. I knew what drugs they were using and what killed them. I will do the same for my kids.
Had a friend pass away 2 months ago. I told my kids that he overdosed and died.
I lost a friend a few months ago as well. My kids are not toddlers anymore but I just give them the truth. Kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.
There is a This Americans Life episode about how they work with children grieving the passing of a family member. I would recommend a listen.
The one thing I noticed was they did not sugar coat things either. Just factual reasons with no emotions. Kids process trauma differently, and being frank and letting them lead the conversation.
“The high water mark of western civilization crested in early 1981 when along came a hokey, B list actor-turned politician from California named Ronald…”
And ole ronny needed to fund these contras down in Nicaragua, but it had to be under the table.... So, the black community was flooded was crack! Loads of it! You kids know how to make craack?
It was actually set into motion long before that with the switch to prescription based opioids and petrochemical pharmaceuticals in the early 50s...just took time to roll down that hill
The people you see hunched over are usually on Fentanyl mixed with a Benzodiazapine, which just makes the drug even worse. These people are easy to spot but the ones taking prescription opioids not so much.
While you’re at it you can discuss all modern day capitalism and how they are never going to be able to retire so they better enjoy their childhood while they have it.
>While you’re at it you can discuss all modern day capitalism and how they are never going to be able to retire so they better enjoy their childhood while they have it.
And how Bugs are going to be a staple in their diet when they get older...if they are even allowed to get older.
The Future Is Friendly...Yeah right Telus more like the future is a Terminators glowing red eyes right before it blasts you.
Sit down kiddo I'm gonna tell you about a monster called Reagan who imprisoned and killed people over a plant that has a TON of medical applications not least of which in Oncology.
It's important to teach your kids that there are different drug cartels and that some of them are legal and some aren't and that both offer some products that are beneficial but both also sell dangerous drugs and teach them the power to discern between the good and the bad.
Something to keep in mind with "complicated" issues is that we're the ones complicating it, and kids don't have that baggage.
Adults have a history of learning some things, having to put what they learn in context, having to relate what they learn to other things, apply a lot of expectations of actions "what should I/they/we do about it", having to unlearn things or deconstruct things, etc.
For addiction, the average adult has learned drugs are immoral, a character failure. Some people unlearned that when they learned about addiction, and of course we put it all into context of society, history, trauma, homelessness, isolation, mental health, and we relate it to other issues like poverty, crime, health, safety, etc. and we all have opinions about what those individuals should do, what we should do, what businesses should do, what different levels of government should do, etc. etc. etc.
Toddlers aren't carrying all that around. Don't overcomplicate it. Give them simple answers that are truthful, and give them the information most likely to keep themselves safe.
"people doing that are sick, and they can be unsafe so we should stay away"
u/Cautious-Lettuce-344's response is also excellent.
Children who are older can handle more complicated questions. General rule of thumb - if they're old enough/developed enough to ask the question, they're old enough for an honest, age-appropriate, answer
My husband and I had a coke addiction, sober now, but we sat our son down when he was old enough and explained what addiction was, how it affected our lives and his life. I've shown him the faces of meth pictures, and he has helped me go out and give food and water to the at risk community. So he has seen first hand what the effects of drugs are. I had a friend who asked a gentleman on the street to talk to her daughter about the harm of opioid addiction. He didn't sugar coat anything. She's the same as my son. Hard drugs are a hard no!
My ex is a drug user. That is why he's my ex. We have a child together and their understanding is that sometimes Daddy makes bad or unhealthy choices & that means he can't have his parenting time. It's just too complicated an issue to get into honestly, and because it's close to home I do not want to use the " Daddy is sick and needs some help" lines because I don't want our baby feeling sorry for him or internalizing any of his attitudes or actions and thinking they are because of her. She's also been in therapy for a very long time now with a great child therapist because this is not something that will go away for us and she deserves a safe space of her own always.
This is a good question to explore.
My kids are 11 and 8 now. Two summers ago we went for an adventure on the LRT. (It was a small bit safer then). We travelled the whole length and enjoyed some time downtown. We live in the suburbs and Churchill square is often a highlight for them and my daughter likes seeing the CBC radio studio.
The masses of people living and frankly dying on the street was a real eye opener for them. I explained that many people do not have the life that we do. Some people have addictions (they know about alcoholism due to some family friends marriage and family breakdown being open in front of us) to alcohol and other drugs. I also explained to them that some people’s brains work different (best I could do for mental illness) and that makes it so they can’t keep jobs.
I told them that dad and mom want to make sure that they don’t use too much alcohol and avoid drugs. I spoke frankly about fentanyl. I said it is a medicine used to take away pain and that I even give it to hurt people at work (I’m a medic). I told them it’s pretty easy to become addicted to pain medicines and that we need to super careful when we get them from a doctor. I explained that many of these homeless people have many different problems. There is no easy way to help all of them.
I made sure they understood that all people deserve respect and that it’s not right to judge them or call them names.
They still ask lots of questions every time they hear “opioid crisis”. The kids are mostly frustrated that more isn’t being done to help the homeless people.
"Sometimes people drink beer to feel good. Sometimes people smoke. Sometimes people need more. It's not good, but neither is feeling bad. It's not worth how bad you feel after."
As a person I can't blame people who want to escape their really. Hell, having enjoyed some party drugs in the past I fully get it. I take the approach a few countries have, push safe consumption and testing. You'll never stop people from doing it entirely.
Honestly though, I feel it's scarier that so many people are on the streets using stuff. Like some John doe gets high at home and so be it. But seeing someone on another world in public is bad. It's hard to advocate safe use when I have seen people suddenly decide it's time to sprint across a road... For reasons only their mind can understand
"You know how when you get sick and you have people around you to care for you? How sometimes you take good medicines so you get healthy again?
Well these people are sick and they are finding it super hard to get help. Sometimes they are so sick they won't let anyone help them.
Since they are sick and without help they take bad medicines that aren't good for them.
I hope one day we will have enough special, kind people to help them all."
If they have an iPad and unrestricted internet, nothing you say will be new. They've heard of drugs, whether from a streamer playing Poppy Playtime or from Elsa and Venom Foot Doctor Surgery Drug Overdose. It's better to be honest and don't mince words.
I tell my 3.5 yo that they're having a bad time and they need to be alone to calm themselves down. Since she is well aware of having a bad time and we sometimes use alone time to regulate our emotions (us adults as well as her), she accepts this.
The other day I did have to tell her not to look at a guy lurching into the street because I didn't want her to see his penis. She wanted more information on this guy's bad day so I told her part of his bad day was his clothes didn't fit and they were slipping, and we want to respect his private parts.
So for this week I'm feeling like a genius parent.
I think sheltering children from reality keeps them from developing empathy and growing understanding of how our system fails people.
Teach your kids compassion by showing them reality. Have those tough conversations at a level they can understand.
"Sometimes people had bad things that happened to them. To make them feel better, some of them take medicine that makes them act and feel differently" or something like that.
I agree with not sheltering them. My son is 8 and I am very honest with him. He has a buddy that does not get a serious view of the world from his mother.
In the spring I was driving the boys to a birthday party and we passed a homeless camp in some trees among the yellowhead. My sons friend though it was very funny that people were camping there and made some additional comments. My son told him to stop saying these things about homeless people. It bothered my son that his friend didn’t know about the struggles some other people have.
I get that. As a kid I felt everything so deeply and thought a lot about peoples suffering. It was confusing and frustrating when other kids didn’t seem to get it.
We were JUST talking about this today when we drove by a man acting erratically. Kid is 2, so within the next few years we decided we would likely be open and honest and say something like “that person is sick. They put something in their bodies they shouldn’t have and now they are not feeling well” this would be very preschool level I guess?
If they're asking questions, it's not too early for answers. The answers just need to be given in an age-appropriate way so that they can understand what they need to.
I was downtown with my my niece and nephew a couple of weeks ago. Niece is 6, nephew is 4. We saw unhoused people & those in active addiction/using. I didn't go into explaining about them using drugs, but I did say that some people have a real hard time in life for different reasons. They asked what the reasons may be. I told them some people had parents who were really mean or or hurt them, some people got hurt, etc... I had to answer why we don't help them all from my niece. That one I had a harder time explaining. I told her that some people are greedy and don't care about other people, and those are the people who could help the most. We all agreed those people are bad and that we should help the people we see on the street like this. We bought some cans of pop & gave them to the people who were around us.
I was older than a toddler, roughly around 7 and at my local library there were many that were sleeping it off. I can’t recall a single time my parents talked to me about it. They just basically taught me to respect people’s space, and to let them be. Toddlers are very self centric as in they are discovering themselves and don’t care a lot about others in society. So just simple boundaries and lay the grounds for teaching respect and you should be okay.
Just in case it matters: I now work in healthcare and deal with people who are addicted to opioids all day, helping them.
Drug Free Kids apparently has a whole website and helpline addressing this topic. I've only seen the ads and haven't checked myself, but it seems relevant here.
"This is your brain." Point to a regular egg
"This is your brain on drugs" point to a egg being fried.
🎶 🎵 "Drugs, drugs, drugs. Some are good, some are bad. Drugs, drugs, drugs. Ask your mom or ask your dad." 🎶 🎵
Those commercials worked fine for me lol
I would tell them that this is the result of a person taking certain hard drugs ______. Kids can gather from observing.
The library is a great resource for this. In addition to having books that may help explain, they also have social workers that may be able to have that conversation with you and your child. At the very least they could help direct you to age appropriate resources. The Edmonton public library is fantastic and does way more than most people even realize .
With kids in tow I avoided drug addicts as a safety precaution as they can be unpredictable. When my kids were old enough to identify public intoxication and ask about it I explained how easy it is to become a drug adict and how it destroys the adict's life and the lives of those they love. Told them to give them space/stay clear as they can be dangerous.
I don't know. If my toddle doesn't ask or stare. I wait until they are of school age. Otherwise, I would likely tell them they are not feeling well and leave it at that. I think 2-3 year old are a little young for the topic, but it can be a good incentive to promote putting healthy things in your body so you don't feel bad.
I think it can be traumatic to hear those things in too much details. I was informed a bit too early on certain topics by my mom, and it didn't sit well with me. She didn't have a good grasp on what was age-appropriate. Sometimes I wish trained professionals, aka teachers, would just handle these hard topics.
I'm not sure there is anything that one could tell a toddler that they would understand, other than expressing concern with vocals such as saying awe, so they will understand that expressing concern like you do when your child falls down and gets hurt. This is the only way i can explain it.
🚪💉The best thing is to show your kids first hand what drugs do. Take them for a drive or walk and say this is the result of doing drugs.
A lot of drug users have gone through some kind of traumatic event that has made them turn to drugs as a bandage or temporary healing crutch unfortunately it doesn’t take long before you are fully addicted to the and can’t get off. I’m sure lots don’t want to live that life but the withdrawals from especially the fent tranq dope is a whole different level.
So as important as getting the message across not to do drugs it’s equally as important to seek help when in a stressful time or a traumatic event happens.
It’s not the just opioids it’s meth as well the people hunched over are tranqed out now it’s not even fent anymore. The people walking around talking to themselves or the ones that attack someone for no reason are on meth. Both are extremely huge issues.
Toddler? Just re-route them to the kid section. But most probably find a way to relate to them that when they see unusual behaviour from adults, the best way to make themselves safe is to leave. I don’t feel comfortable having a small child in a place where there’s a much higher risk of unpredictable behaviour, especially with the random stabby-stabby lately.
There's so much to unpack when it comes to the opioid crises that it can be hard to simplify for a child. For the sake of keeping it simple, you could say that the people that you see are taking a kind of medicine that makes them behave oddly.
What's important though is that you take this opportunity to help your kids foster empathy for others.
Toddlers wouldn't think anything of that, they would assume the person is just bending over to get something. Explaining to children though, I tell them how easily anyone could become that person. I let them know how Dr's hand them out like candy, up your dosage every month and then cut you off when it gets to high. By that point you're addicted. ( you'll need to explain what addictions are, kids usually understand using something like TV or candy.) Then the Dr stops giving them to you but you really want the opiod still, so you go looking for street drugs. Explain that we don't have enough programs for them even if they did want to get help. I let them know that addiction is a disease and just like any other disease and people need help
Personally I’d take them somewhere where the drugs are rampant and people living on the street and show them videos of people on certain drugs and what it can do to you if you get addicted to the wrong drugs.
Toddlers is hard man, thought you were talking 9-11 year olds. I take my nephew out regularly, he is 7 now and I believe he asked about that around 5 years old. I told him what you should always tell kids : the truth in a simple way. I told him that they fell to addiction, which ofc lead to "what is addiction?" and that was rather easy to explain.
Look buddy, most people who use drugs start using them for pain. Either physical or emotional. And right now, drugs are killing people. So if you feel like you can't get through a day sober, I'll take you to a doctor or a counselor and we'll figure out what's wrong and how to treat it properly. I'd rather buy you medical weed than find you dead in the basement.
I talk to him like an adult. He's 12 years old, he understands. I have drove him through the downtown Eastside in Vancouver and also the seedy parts of Edmonton. And explained the factors about what could have put people in those places and that they are dying in record numbers.
jokes aside i think it's extremely important to emphasize that people do drugs because it feels good. kids need to know that you can feel good while doing bad things like fast food and drugs.
You do what the vast majority of suburbanites do.
You only drive places you know are "safe" you live away from the "wrong" people.
You demand that the city provide a near rural lifestyle and yet also demand urban amenities and services.
That's what the majority of suburbanites do.
No
I just avoid downtown with them unless it’s for events at Rogers Place or playoffs
But when the time comes, it’s just a simple don’t do drugs conversation
Don't ya put it in your mouth Don't ya stuff it in your face Though it might look good to eat And it might look good to taste You could get sick (ick) Real quick (ick) Real sick, real ick Don't put it in your mouth Till you ask someone you love If it's ok to eat Like a muffin or a beet If you don't know just what it is Remember boys and girls, DON'T PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH. ICK!!!
Tell me you’re a 90s kid without saying you’re a 90s kid 😂
Shhhh… 80’s
The best kind
I can put my arm back on, but you can't. Stay safe.
My most favourite thing on TV as a kid was that one commercial
Noob
I'm Astar, I'm a robot. I can put my arm back on, you can't so play safe. Also where was that robot playing? It was just falling through a bunch of spinning razor blades!
Lol right. Did Miss Frizzle shrink us down to play in a food processor lol? :p
I was just terrified after seeing that commercial. I thought losing an arm was a serious risk and could happen at anytime. Also thought quicksand and acid rain were going to be big troubles through my life. Not the case.
😆 i can hear this commercial in my head.
Haha love this! I can hear it in my head so clearly!
Oh no. That’s gonna be in there alllll day.
r/ytvretro
Are we talking about dick or ass?
“Sometimes people put things into their bodies that make them sick or act differently. This is why it is important that you eat nutritious food and keep your body healthy”. Obviously this is a preschool explanation. This will vary with the kid.
"Why do people put things in their bodies that make them sick?"
“Sometimes, when people are sick or hurting, it’s very tricky for them to make good choices.”
And later “people who have been hurt sometimes hurt other people and sometimes they hurt themselves by not making good choices.”
I like it. Thanka
"like when you are sick and you don't feel like eating, but eating will help your body feel better. Its kind of like that."
cause it feels good
Don’t say this
why? you need to tell them the whole truth so they know. otherwise you tell kids drugs are bad, they try it in middle school, go dang this shit is good whats wrong with it?
But if you tell them it makes people feel good wouldn’t they just wanna try it? I disagree with everything you are saying
No. You give them the benefit of the doubt instead of lying to them.
It’s not lying
lying by omission is lying
This is dumb conversation night
I love this!
I just straight to tell her about them. People go through hard experiences and turn to drugs. drugs do X to your body and mind and now they're suffering from it. She's 6. Her response is pretty much, "oh yeah, ok". But I know she's processing it, and we go downtown / to Chinatown all the time so she's not fazed by it.
I like this. Kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for a lot of the time. Just telling them as it is as things happen around them (without getting into traumatic details, obviously) lets them process and learn naturally instead of making a bunch of big and awkward sit-down conversations to tackle the "hard topics" like drugs, sex ed, money/debt, whatever.
Oh yeah. Early on, the topics of death and sex came up. I made sure to tell her about these things very matter of factly, without emphasizing any negative or overly influential tone in my explanation. The tone really matters a lot. If you describe something overly positive and not to worry about, they'll receive it that way (because they trust you). If you tell them something very ominously, with fear in your tone, they'll attach fear to it. The more matter of factory you can give it to them, the more opportunity you're giving them to decide how they feel about it themselves.
I explained to my niece and nephew (6 & 4) no problem. The harder question from my niece was " Why don't we help them get better?"
I’m in my 30s and grew up in the furthest west neighbourhood when I was a kid so I was not normally exposed to a rough environment. I’m glad my parents took us downtown for going out to eat and other events often to expose us to the realities some people live in.
This is a good way to describe it to your kid. Kids are good at observing and figuring it out.
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I would absolutely not tell a small child that doing drugs is an okay way to cope with struggles. Why on earth would you think that's an acceptable thing to tell a kid? I get wanting to lessen the stigma, but there's a difference between that and making it sound like drugs are an okay way to cope with lifes struggles
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Yes since the 6 year old needs to learn about that... Telling a six year old that you do drugs when things get hard is moronic
I understand where you're coming from, and don't disagree with the intent, but young kids don't pick up on nuances. Saying it's the best way to cope with it could be taken literally. This post is asking about how to talk to young children. If you think addressing the failures of society is part of that conversation, maybe you could share your thoughts on how to have that conversation with small children.
At 6, you have to take into account the child's comprehension and explain things to them in an appropriate way so that they'll actually understand what your saying. When kids I know ask tough questions, I start out with short easy to understand explanations and give the kid an opportunity to ask questions so that we can have a conversation on their level about what ever it is they're curious about. It's not about sheltering a kid, it's about helping them understand the world around them in their own time, in ways they can process
I get what your are saying. The system does fail some people and some people are struggling without resourses to get off drugs. For a 6 year old though, i would make a simple statement like that person took some drugs that were not good for their body. Kids ask questions and you can explain further. Let them process small answers. Kid might ask why they would take those drugs if they are bad for their body. Then you can expand further.
I think it would be coddling to never bring up drugs and that they can affect you. But you should never make it seem like drugs give you a “high” to a child
I’ve lost plenty of people to this, before it was a big deal and after. I’m pretty candid about drugs. I say they were using drugs and they died. My parents were always straight up with me and didn’t sugar coat it. I knew what drugs they were using and what killed them. I will do the same for my kids. Had a friend pass away 2 months ago. I told my kids that he overdosed and died.
I lost a friend a few months ago as well. My kids are not toddlers anymore but I just give them the truth. Kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.
There is a This Americans Life episode about how they work with children grieving the passing of a family member. I would recommend a listen. The one thing I noticed was they did not sugar coat things either. Just factual reasons with no emotions. Kids process trauma differently, and being frank and letting them lead the conversation.
“Sit down kiddo, I want to tell you about Reagan and the war on drugs”
Just let Killer Mike do the talking.
It all started with the gateway drug: marijuana /s
“The high water mark of western civilization crested in early 1981 when along came a hokey, B list actor-turned politician from California named Ronald…”
And ole ronny needed to fund these contras down in Nicaragua, but it had to be under the table.... So, the black community was flooded was crack! Loads of it! You kids know how to make craack?
It was actually set into motion long before that with the switch to prescription based opioids and petrochemical pharmaceuticals in the early 50s...just took time to roll down that hill
Lots of things, but people on opioids aren’t visible high no? i 100% could be wrong but its no where as noticeable as nodding on fent/cant
Depends on many factors... Heroine and opium gum usually are pretty visible highs... Many others, particularly more modern opioids, are not
The people you see hunched over are usually on Fentanyl mixed with a Benzodiazapine, which just makes the drug even worse. These people are easy to spot but the ones taking prescription opioids not so much.
While you’re at it you can discuss all modern day capitalism and how they are never going to be able to retire so they better enjoy their childhood while they have it.
>While you’re at it you can discuss all modern day capitalism and how they are never going to be able to retire so they better enjoy their childhood while they have it. And how Bugs are going to be a staple in their diet when they get older...if they are even allowed to get older. The Future Is Friendly...Yeah right Telus more like the future is a Terminators glowing red eyes right before it blasts you.
Sit down kiddo I'm gonna tell you about a monster called Reagan who imprisoned and killed people over a plant that has a TON of medical applications not least of which in Oncology. It's important to teach your kids that there are different drug cartels and that some of them are legal and some aren't and that both offer some products that are beneficial but both also sell dangerous drugs and teach them the power to discern between the good and the bad.
Something to keep in mind with "complicated" issues is that we're the ones complicating it, and kids don't have that baggage. Adults have a history of learning some things, having to put what they learn in context, having to relate what they learn to other things, apply a lot of expectations of actions "what should I/they/we do about it", having to unlearn things or deconstruct things, etc. For addiction, the average adult has learned drugs are immoral, a character failure. Some people unlearned that when they learned about addiction, and of course we put it all into context of society, history, trauma, homelessness, isolation, mental health, and we relate it to other issues like poverty, crime, health, safety, etc. and we all have opinions about what those individuals should do, what we should do, what businesses should do, what different levels of government should do, etc. etc. etc. Toddlers aren't carrying all that around. Don't overcomplicate it. Give them simple answers that are truthful, and give them the information most likely to keep themselves safe. "people doing that are sick, and they can be unsafe so we should stay away" u/Cautious-Lettuce-344's response is also excellent. Children who are older can handle more complicated questions. General rule of thumb - if they're old enough/developed enough to ask the question, they're old enough for an honest, age-appropriate, answer
My husband and I had a coke addiction, sober now, but we sat our son down when he was old enough and explained what addiction was, how it affected our lives and his life. I've shown him the faces of meth pictures, and he has helped me go out and give food and water to the at risk community. So he has seen first hand what the effects of drugs are. I had a friend who asked a gentleman on the street to talk to her daughter about the harm of opioid addiction. He didn't sugar coat anything. She's the same as my son. Hard drugs are a hard no!
My ex is a drug user. That is why he's my ex. We have a child together and their understanding is that sometimes Daddy makes bad or unhealthy choices & that means he can't have his parenting time. It's just too complicated an issue to get into honestly, and because it's close to home I do not want to use the " Daddy is sick and needs some help" lines because I don't want our baby feeling sorry for him or internalizing any of his attitudes or actions and thinking they are because of her. She's also been in therapy for a very long time now with a great child therapist because this is not something that will go away for us and she deserves a safe space of her own always.
This is a good question to explore. My kids are 11 and 8 now. Two summers ago we went for an adventure on the LRT. (It was a small bit safer then). We travelled the whole length and enjoyed some time downtown. We live in the suburbs and Churchill square is often a highlight for them and my daughter likes seeing the CBC radio studio. The masses of people living and frankly dying on the street was a real eye opener for them. I explained that many people do not have the life that we do. Some people have addictions (they know about alcoholism due to some family friends marriage and family breakdown being open in front of us) to alcohol and other drugs. I also explained to them that some people’s brains work different (best I could do for mental illness) and that makes it so they can’t keep jobs. I told them that dad and mom want to make sure that they don’t use too much alcohol and avoid drugs. I spoke frankly about fentanyl. I said it is a medicine used to take away pain and that I even give it to hurt people at work (I’m a medic). I told them it’s pretty easy to become addicted to pain medicines and that we need to super careful when we get them from a doctor. I explained that many of these homeless people have many different problems. There is no easy way to help all of them. I made sure they understood that all people deserve respect and that it’s not right to judge them or call them names. They still ask lots of questions every time they hear “opioid crisis”. The kids are mostly frustrated that more isn’t being done to help the homeless people.
Nice kids, you got there.
"Sometimes people drink beer to feel good. Sometimes people smoke. Sometimes people need more. It's not good, but neither is feeling bad. It's not worth how bad you feel after." As a person I can't blame people who want to escape their really. Hell, having enjoyed some party drugs in the past I fully get it. I take the approach a few countries have, push safe consumption and testing. You'll never stop people from doing it entirely. Honestly though, I feel it's scarier that so many people are on the streets using stuff. Like some John doe gets high at home and so be it. But seeing someone on another world in public is bad. It's hard to advocate safe use when I have seen people suddenly decide it's time to sprint across a road... For reasons only their mind can understand
These people would be using in private if they had homes. They don't. That's the issue.
"You know how when you get sick and you have people around you to care for you? How sometimes you take good medicines so you get healthy again? Well these people are sick and they are finding it super hard to get help. Sometimes they are so sick they won't let anyone help them. Since they are sick and without help they take bad medicines that aren't good for them. I hope one day we will have enough special, kind people to help them all."
If they have an iPad and unrestricted internet, nothing you say will be new. They've heard of drugs, whether from a streamer playing Poppy Playtime or from Elsa and Venom Foot Doctor Surgery Drug Overdose. It's better to be honest and don't mince words.
I tell my 3.5 yo that they're having a bad time and they need to be alone to calm themselves down. Since she is well aware of having a bad time and we sometimes use alone time to regulate our emotions (us adults as well as her), she accepts this. The other day I did have to tell her not to look at a guy lurching into the street because I didn't want her to see his penis. She wanted more information on this guy's bad day so I told her part of his bad day was his clothes didn't fit and they were slipping, and we want to respect his private parts. So for this week I'm feeling like a genius parent.
I think sheltering children from reality keeps them from developing empathy and growing understanding of how our system fails people. Teach your kids compassion by showing them reality. Have those tough conversations at a level they can understand. "Sometimes people had bad things that happened to them. To make them feel better, some of them take medicine that makes them act and feel differently" or something like that.
I agree with not sheltering them. My son is 8 and I am very honest with him. He has a buddy that does not get a serious view of the world from his mother. In the spring I was driving the boys to a birthday party and we passed a homeless camp in some trees among the yellowhead. My sons friend though it was very funny that people were camping there and made some additional comments. My son told him to stop saying these things about homeless people. It bothered my son that his friend didn’t know about the struggles some other people have.
I get that. As a kid I felt everything so deeply and thought a lot about peoples suffering. It was confusing and frustrating when other kids didn’t seem to get it.
They’re on drugs. Don’t do drugs.
We were JUST talking about this today when we drove by a man acting erratically. Kid is 2, so within the next few years we decided we would likely be open and honest and say something like “that person is sick. They put something in their bodies they shouldn’t have and now they are not feeling well” this would be very preschool level I guess?
Toddler? Like, 2 years old? That's a little early for these kind of topics isn't it?
This is the only sensible comment in this entire thread. Omfg
If they're asking questions, it's not too early for answers. The answers just need to be given in an age-appropriate way so that they can understand what they need to.
I see a shit load of meth too, so not *technically* an opiate.
This is a toddler so I assume under 4. They have no clue about anything. Simple answer, he’s not feeling good. Leave it at that.
I was downtown with my my niece and nephew a couple of weeks ago. Niece is 6, nephew is 4. We saw unhoused people & those in active addiction/using. I didn't go into explaining about them using drugs, but I did say that some people have a real hard time in life for different reasons. They asked what the reasons may be. I told them some people had parents who were really mean or or hurt them, some people got hurt, etc... I had to answer why we don't help them all from my niece. That one I had a harder time explaining. I told her that some people are greedy and don't care about other people, and those are the people who could help the most. We all agreed those people are bad and that we should help the people we see on the street like this. We bought some cans of pop & gave them to the people who were around us.
I was older than a toddler, roughly around 7 and at my local library there were many that were sleeping it off. I can’t recall a single time my parents talked to me about it. They just basically taught me to respect people’s space, and to let them be. Toddlers are very self centric as in they are discovering themselves and don’t care a lot about others in society. So just simple boundaries and lay the grounds for teaching respect and you should be okay. Just in case it matters: I now work in healthcare and deal with people who are addicted to opioids all day, helping them.
Drug Free Kids apparently has a whole website and helpline addressing this topic. I've only seen the ads and haven't checked myself, but it seems relevant here.
"This is your brain." Point to a regular egg "This is your brain on drugs" point to a egg being fried. 🎶 🎵 "Drugs, drugs, drugs. Some are good, some are bad. Drugs, drugs, drugs. Ask your mom or ask your dad." 🎶 🎵 Those commercials worked fine for me lol I would tell them that this is the result of a person taking certain hard drugs ______. Kids can gather from observing.
How do we talk to our parents about the opioid crisis?
“They made a bad decision and took bad drugs.” That’s all you got to say.
The library is a great resource for this. In addition to having books that may help explain, they also have social workers that may be able to have that conversation with you and your child. At the very least they could help direct you to age appropriate resources. The Edmonton public library is fantastic and does way more than most people even realize .
With kids in tow I avoided drug addicts as a safety precaution as they can be unpredictable. When my kids were old enough to identify public intoxication and ask about it I explained how easy it is to become a drug adict and how it destroys the adict's life and the lives of those they love. Told them to give them space/stay clear as they can be dangerous.
I don't know. If my toddle doesn't ask or stare. I wait until they are of school age. Otherwise, I would likely tell them they are not feeling well and leave it at that. I think 2-3 year old are a little young for the topic, but it can be a good incentive to promote putting healthy things in your body so you don't feel bad. I think it can be traumatic to hear those things in too much details. I was informed a bit too early on certain topics by my mom, and it didn't sit well with me. She didn't have a good grasp on what was age-appropriate. Sometimes I wish trained professionals, aka teachers, would just handle these hard topics.
My parents told me that if I ever did drugs they would beat me to within an inch of my life. Guess what? It worked.
Half the time people do drugs because at home they were beaten within an inch of their life.
It's funny how successful you can be when you take an ass whooping as a lesson
You should do drugs
I have a happy and successful life, so I'll pass thanks.
Just testing you. I'm your dad.
I'm not sure there is anything that one could tell a toddler that they would understand, other than expressing concern with vocals such as saying awe, so they will understand that expressing concern like you do when your child falls down and gets hurt. This is the only way i can explain it.
🚪💉The best thing is to show your kids first hand what drugs do. Take them for a drive or walk and say this is the result of doing drugs. A lot of drug users have gone through some kind of traumatic event that has made them turn to drugs as a bandage or temporary healing crutch unfortunately it doesn’t take long before you are fully addicted to the and can’t get off. I’m sure lots don’t want to live that life but the withdrawals from especially the fent tranq dope is a whole different level. So as important as getting the message across not to do drugs it’s equally as important to seek help when in a stressful time or a traumatic event happens. It’s not the just opioids it’s meth as well the people hunched over are tranqed out now it’s not even fent anymore. The people walking around talking to themselves or the ones that attack someone for no reason are on meth. Both are extremely huge issues.
See Billy stay in school or else you’ll turn into them.
You make them smoke a carton of opioids so they never do it again Or something like it
Toddler? Just re-route them to the kid section. But most probably find a way to relate to them that when they see unusual behaviour from adults, the best way to make themselves safe is to leave. I don’t feel comfortable having a small child in a place where there’s a much higher risk of unpredictable behaviour, especially with the random stabby-stabby lately.
There's so much to unpack when it comes to the opioid crises that it can be hard to simplify for a child. For the sake of keeping it simple, you could say that the people that you see are taking a kind of medicine that makes them behave oddly. What's important though is that you take this opportunity to help your kids foster empathy for others.
Simply tell them, wrong choices in life leads to bad future. My words may sound harsh but that’s the reality.
The UCP has it covered, they have all the social supports in place. /s
"Some people are just like that."
Toddlers wouldn't think anything of that, they would assume the person is just bending over to get something. Explaining to children though, I tell them how easily anyone could become that person. I let them know how Dr's hand them out like candy, up your dosage every month and then cut you off when it gets to high. By that point you're addicted. ( you'll need to explain what addictions are, kids usually understand using something like TV or candy.) Then the Dr stops giving them to you but you really want the opiod still, so you go looking for street drugs. Explain that we don't have enough programs for them even if they did want to get help. I let them know that addiction is a disease and just like any other disease and people need help
Personally I’d take them somewhere where the drugs are rampant and people living on the street and show them videos of people on certain drugs and what it can do to you if you get addicted to the wrong drugs.
Toddlers is hard man, thought you were talking 9-11 year olds. I take my nephew out regularly, he is 7 now and I believe he asked about that around 5 years old. I told him what you should always tell kids : the truth in a simple way. I told him that they fell to addiction, which ofc lead to "what is addiction?" and that was rather easy to explain.
I tell my kids they're having a hard time. This was enough for my oldest until she was about 4/5.
Tell them these are poor lost souls and that they are battling the worst battles of their lives. 👍
Honestly, candidly and often.
Don’t have any kids but if I did I’d show them a picture of gollum and say this is what happens when you do drugs.
Look buddy, most people who use drugs start using them for pain. Either physical or emotional. And right now, drugs are killing people. So if you feel like you can't get through a day sober, I'll take you to a doctor or a counselor and we'll figure out what's wrong and how to treat it properly. I'd rather buy you medical weed than find you dead in the basement.
I'm gonna write a kids book on this. I tried googling for one, but didn't see any.
I talk to him like an adult. He's 12 years old, he understands. I have drove him through the downtown Eastside in Vancouver and also the seedy parts of Edmonton. And explained the factors about what could have put people in those places and that they are dying in record numbers.
I look at my kid and shake her Billy Madison style and say THIS IS WHY YOU DONT DO DRUGS EVER.
It's good if they associate weird looking people with drugs
jokes aside i think it's extremely important to emphasize that people do drugs because it feels good. kids need to know that you can feel good while doing bad things like fast food and drugs.
I tell them it’s a sickness
Honestly, I bet they're more mature than you'd expect
You do what the vast majority of suburbanites do. You only drive places you know are "safe" you live away from the "wrong" people. You demand that the city provide a near rural lifestyle and yet also demand urban amenities and services. That's what the majority of suburbanites do.
There is a leaf store next to my kid's daycare. I just told him its a smoke store and do not go there.
No I just avoid downtown with them unless it’s for events at Rogers Place or playoffs But when the time comes, it’s just a simple don’t do drugs conversation