“MADAWA YA KULEVYA” EARLY WARNING SIGNS FOR CHILDREN

As much as the 21st century brings with it easier ways of managing our day-to-day lives, it comes with its own challenges. A new challenge that our children are facing among others is the early exposure to
substance abuse. These days, substances come in all shapes and sizes hence not easily detectable by parents, some looks like writing pens, and some like sweets or chocolates making it difficult for a busy parent to detect.
Today in this blog post, I am sharing some warning signs to watch out for in your children, to detect
some early exposure before it becomes addictive. These signs are not exhaustive and hence I am
encouraging parents to dig deeper and always TRUST your instincts when you are worried about your
child please investigate further.

1. Behaviour

Has your childs behavior changed recently? Is he/she suddenly have mood
swings, or he is irritable, he/she likes to keep to himself, suddenly secretive or his grades are falling behind, bedroom doors are locked or your child starts to lie, extreme tiredness or hyperactive. This should be a cause for alarm please investigate further.

2. Friends

Has your child abandoned his friends and suddenly have new friends that he spends
time with? are you feeling uneasy with these friends who either looks scary or exhibit risky
behaviors?. Do you know who your child spends time with? If you feel uneasy with a certain friend please investigate them further.

3. Physical Appearance

Keep an eye on unexplained weight loss or gain, bloodshot eyes, Frequent headaches, poor hygiene, nose bleed, small marks on arms or legs, shaking hands, changes in appetite or sleep pattern. In general if there is any change to the way your child used to be and you are worried about it then ensure that you take time and dig deeper.

4. Motivation

Notice if your child starts to neglect their responsibilities at home or at school, if he skips school, lessons or he loses interest in his/her hobbies. Suddenly, the things he used to care about are no longer of interest to him

5. Need for Money

Have you noticed that things are missing at home, money is disappearing,
you child is frequently asking for money that he cannot explain why he needs it, if you have noticed any of that, you are not paranoid, it is time to follow up closely.

I know if you have seen any of the above signs you are worried. The purpose of this blog post is not to bring paranoia amongst parents, as a parent you have sixth sense which means that you sense when something is not right.

Even if you have not seen any of the above signs but just want to make sure all is well, please do the following on a regular basis.

1. SEARCH – Have a routine to clean your children rooms once a month or once in two weeks. This
   routine should help you to check if there are no suspicious items in your children’s rooms,
   cupboards or bags.
2. PARENT – most parents want to become friends with their children as much as this is the
   ultimate goal, we need to know when we can be friends and when we need to be parents. Once
   your child is over 18 years, you can become a FRIEND, before that please be a PARENT to your
   child.
3. SENSE – use your senses look, smell, test and earing. Become aware of the above signs in your
   child. The aim is not to become a detective; the aim is to detect early exposure so that you can
   intervene on time.
4. TALK – Nothing beats quality time spent between a parent and child. Spend time with your child
   and their friends, get to know them well and share advice with them. Watch movies that are
   meant to show them the effects of drug use etc.

Please leave us a comment and share with us any more information about early signs of substance abuse for young children and how we can detect it early before it becomes disastrous.