Teachable Moments
Published: Monday, January 1st, 2007
Take advantage of concrete, everyday examples to make abstract values come alive.
Use family time at dinner or in the car to explore moral issues by posing hypothetical questions: "What would you do if the person ahead of you in the movie line dropped a dollar bill?" "If the waitress made a mistake in your favor when she added up the check?" "If your friend wanted you to skip class and play video games with him?"
Take examples of the consequences of alcohol and drug abuse right from the daily newspaper. "Did you see this article about the mother who used drugs and was arrested? Was using drugs a wise decision? Who will care for her baby now?"
Watch TV with your children and discuss programs, news items and advertising. Do they make anti-social behavior look acceptable or exciting? Do they show the real risks? Point out the full implications to friends and families and society in general. (You may also want to reassure children that the world is not as bleak as it appears in the news, which focuses on society's problems.)
When you're together and see an anti-drug, anti-smoking, underage drinking or safe-sex advertisement, use it as an opening to talk about the issue.
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