There are different ways to get your teenager to stop or avoid abusing drugs. From education to drug testing, parents have employed every tactic they can think of. But teens often succumb to the temptation to abuse drugs anyway. When this happens, you need to step in and stage an informal intervention. As opposed to a formal intervention, where you gather a group of p

  There are different ways to get your teenager to stop or avoid abusing drugs. From education to drug testing, parents have employed every tactic they can think of. But teens often succumb to the temptation to abuse drugs anyway. When this happens, you need to step in and stage an informal intervention. As opposed to a formal intervention, where you gather a group of people to talk to the drug abuser, an informal one is a conversation between parent(s) and child. Here are 17 tips to help you stage a successful informal intervention.1. Research drugs and collect useful facts, especially about the drugs you suspect your teen is abusing. Go to reputable sources to get your information. 2. Try a dry run with someone you trust to make sure you can articulate exactly how you feel in the best possible way.3. Turn off all potential distractions (phones, TV) and make sure other children in the house know not to disturb you during this conversation.4. Don't self-medicate with anything like valium, alcohol or nicotine. If you do, you will be completely undermining your point. 5. Avoid staging an intervention if you suspect your teen is high on a drug. First thing in the morning is usually a good time. 6. Be honest. Interventions aren't about using scare tactics; they are about getting the abuser to realize that drug use has seriously negative consequences for them and the people around them.7. Declare immunity for them for whatever is said or confessed to during the intervention so they feel at ease talking about anything without the possibility of repercussions.8. Stay calm. Your child might very well be angry during this process and even yell. Do not reciprocate. Staying calm is part of being in control.9. Make sure that you are having a conversation with input from both parties and not simply giving a lecture. Ask your child questions so they have to participate and listen and respond to their answers.10. Don't let your teen steer the conversation off topic by slinging hurtful comments at you. Be polite but firm that you are willing to discuss things they bring up but not during this particular conversation.11. Don't get discouraged if your teen has as much information as you on the subject and tells you something that genuinely stumps you. Tell them that you can look into it together later (and actually follow through). 12. Be prepared to be confronted about your own actions, like drinking or cigarette smoking and also be prepared to agree to give up an addiction like smoking to show solidarity with them.  13. Be prepared to acknowledge and talk about your own drug use history. You can use it as a talking point but don't let it overtake the conversation.14. Have a goal. Don't let the conversation end without having accomplished what you set out to do. You can make a list to help you. But also know what it is you want to accomplish. Whether you want a promise from your teen to stop doing drugs or your only goal is to get your feelings across, make sure you've done that.15. Make sure they know that even though they have immunity during this conversation, there will be consequences for continued drug use. Some parents like to draw up written contracts with their children and some like to implement a drug testing regimen but be sure they also understand that your door is always open to them to talk.16. Take a break if you need to. Do not start doing other activities. Set a timer for five minutes and get back to it once the break is over. 17. Most important of all, be prepared to acknowledge that your child might not just be experimenting with drugs, but might actually have an addiction and might require professional help. Follow these tips to have a constructive and fruitful intervention with your child. Meet Lena Butler. She has a brief knowledge of different types of testing related to health and wellness and is always interested to know more about the same as much as possible. Additionally, she loves to go for camping trips and likes to hang out with friends and family. View Less

  When was the last time when you got a gift that you enjoyed using, and I mean really enjoyed using – A very long time ago right? Or was it never? That’s not the fault of the person who got that gift for you, but because of our habit of not thinking out-of-the-box while buying a gift for somebody. Nobody likes putting in an effort to think imaginatively, that’

  When was the last time when you got a gift that you enjoyed using, and I mean really enjoyed using – A very long time ago right? Or was it never? That’s not the fault of the person who got that gift for you, but because of our habit of not thinking out-of-the-box while buying a gift for somebody. Nobody likes putting in an effort to think imaginatively, that’s just so tiring for them. But, that’s the problem, if you don’t think innovatively, how are you going to buy a gift that you know, will work.   What’s more there are plenty of failsafe unique gifts that you can use to make your job a whole lot easier.   Great Gift Ideas for Pranksters   If you know you have to get a gift for somebody who loves to play pranks, and who also loves golf, then All Four Trick Golf Balls is a great gift idea. You get four trick balls, the Exploding Golf Ball, Phantom Golf Ball, Unputtable Golf Ball, and the JetStreamer Ball; their names give you an idea of what they will do. Playing pranks on golfing greens is quite common, so this is a perfect gift for the ardent golfer and the lovable prankster.  If that’s not something that will get top marks in your ideas for unique gifts will the ‘Fake Foot in the Door’ get a nod? I kid you not; this is a hysterical prank that will never get old. You place this foot under the bed, or place the foot sticking out of the toilet bowl, or even your closed car trunk. It’s a funny gag that everyone will love. A top of the heap kind of gift for pranksters!   Great Gross Gift Ideas   These are the kind of unique gifts that only men will love and only a special kind of men who love playing gross jokes on hapless friends or family members. What are gross gifts? Well, they come in all sort of shapes and sizes and are like the Fart Spray, yes an occasional discreet outburst from this spray, and the rancid smell that follows is a recipe for a great prank, and lots of laughter. This makes it a great gift. Alright if that wasn’t gross enough, how about some Fake Human ***. This is the ultimate gross out gift that will have the recipient having loads of fun with it. It is as realistic as it gets and the perfect companion for toilet humor. Forget about somebody coming across this piece of “***” on the toilet seat, just picturize your guests coming across it in your living room or on the sofa on which they are sitting. Can you imagine the shock on their faces and the laughter on yours? That’s the kind of impact this product is going to have.   These are just some examples of unique gifts that are available on the market. Agree some of they are really gross, but you must go by the maxim cometh the man, cometh the gift. The gift chooses the man and not vice versa.   If you don’t want to go the funny route, there are other options that you can choose from which include the likes of The BBQ Branding Iron, which allows you to stamp your brand on the piece of meat; or something like the Binoculars Flask, a flask shaped like a binocular; or how about Instant Underpants?, the list just goes on and on. You need to pick something that suits the interests and preferences of the person that you are buying the gift for. But whatever you buy, you can be rest assured that it won’t fall flat. View Less

Freaked out parents, take heed! Yes, those rashes do look very serious. No, your child is probably not going to be permanently scarred because of that acne, eczema, or impetigo rash.    Baby rashes aren't uncommon, which is why organic sheets that are clean and chemical-free are so highly recommended for babies. Babies have more sensitive ski

Freaked out parents, take heed! Yes, those rashes do look very serious. No, your child is probably not going to be permanently scarred because of that acne, eczema, or impetigo rash.    Baby rashes aren't uncommon, which is why organic sheets that are clean and chemical-free are so highly recommended for babies. Babies have more sensitive skin, meaning they are more prone to rashes. To help calm you down, here are some of the more common baby rashes you need to know about:   Impetigo  -- This is a  bacterial rash  that can turn into blisters, which will burst and leave golden, thick crusts on your baby's skin. The sores around their mouth and nose itch, but they don't usually hurt. Treat them immediately, as they can be contagious.   Meningitis  -- This is a more  serious infection , caused by viruses or bacteria that attack the membranes around the baby's brain and spinal cord. Not all meningitis cases present with a rash, but a red rash is common - not to mention your child looking a bit purple. Press a glass tumbler against their skin. If the rash is visible through the glass, get help immediately. Baby Acne  -- Babies can develop acne, usually as a result of hormones from the mother's milk. Baby acne treatments do exist, but check with a doctor if it doesn't disappear after 90 days. Eczema -- Atopic eczema is the most common type, and it will cause their skin to itch, dry out, crack, and turn red. It's usually found in the folds of their skin (elbows, knees, etc.). It takes years to clear up, so check with your doctor.   Heat Rash  -- This rash looks bumpy and red, and it's just caused by underdeveloped sweat glands and too much friction with their clothes or diapers. You can treat these heat rashes with a simple cream - sold at any pharmacy - or simple remedies like Vitamin E or coconut oil can help to deal with them. Diaper Rash  -- This is the most common rash that babies develop, and it sets in - that's right - in their diapers. The  diaper rash  comes from a simple infection, either a bacteria or fungus from the baby's feces. When the urine sits in the diaper for too long, the bacteria or fungus will bore into the baby's skin. The area will become infected, and it is a stubborn rash that is very hard to treat. In fact, every time the baby sits in soiled diapers for too long, there is a chance the bacteria will start spreading once again. For this reason, it's recommended that parents change their baby's diaper as quickly as possible to avoid diaper rash. Once you understand these rashes, they're not so bad, right? Sure, some of them sound pretty serious, but they aren't all that bad if you catch them in time. You can make sure to get baby to the pediatrician quickly, and the doctor will treat the rash before it spreads.  View Less

I just wanted to share my proud mommy moment. My son's baseball team got the short end of the stick this year. They didn't have a coach so at the draft our team was made up of all the kids that were left. We didn't have a coach a week before games started so one of the other coaches let our team practice with them, obviously this didn't work well. Finally a dad stepped up at our first gam

I just wanted to share my proud mommy moment. My son's baseball team got the short end of the stick this year. They didn't have a coach so at the draft our team was made up of all the kids that were left. We didn't have a coach a week before games started so one of the other coaches let our team practice with them, obviously this didn't work well. Finally a dad stepped up at our first game and agreed to coach. He like the rest of the parents has a full time job that is leaving practicing almost impossible, so the parents have gotten together and agreed we are going to make the best of this season and encourage the boys to have as much fun as possible as winning doesn't appear to be an option at this time. Tonight my son was given his chance to pitch in the third inning. In the second inning he stopped a ground ball and got it to his cut off man before a run could score. In the third inning when he was pitching he walked the first batter (keep in mind he has never pitched before), the second got a single off of him, he struck out the third batter and the fourth hit an in-field fly ball to our third baseman who caught the ball and managed to tag out the runner who was tagging up on third. It was our shortest inning the entire season and the only inning we have had all season where the other team didn't score. Great job tonight boys! View Less