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In today's day and age, all parents, at some time or the other, get anxious imagining the possibility of their children getting involved with Drugs. The fear of Drugs is probably the number one fear in our minds. And closely on its heels, is the anxiety stemming from the thought that our children may be sexually irresponsible and get quagmired in the consequences. No matter if we have a son or a daughter ......... these fears are universal.

While there is a ton of advice out there on how to avoid these pit-falls, ranging from the esoteric to the barbaric, in my mind there is only one thing that we can do to ensure that our children are well-prepared to make the right choices in their lives.

What we need to do is to have honest and open talks with them on sensitive issues like Drugs and Sex. We need to start these talks early and build them up gradually, based on the child's increasing awareness. These topics are not easy to approach, but if we start the process when the children are young, we are sending out a very powerful message to them that it is acceptable to talk about these issues. An air of openness is created, which then makes it easier for the child to come up with his or her questions. If we can instill this feeling in them, before they hit the awkward, self-conscious, moody, leave-me-alone stage, the chances that, when in doubt, they will seek us out, increase dramatically. If we wait till they are in their teens, they may have, under the not-so-able guidance of their peers, already reached their own conclusions, and will not pay much attention to what we say. And as we all know, it isn't difficult for any teen to tune out his parents' 'lectures'!

Many parents I know, feel that talking to their kids about Drugs, may actually arouse the child's curiosity and interest in the topic. That may be true, but just curiosity never harmed anyone (except the proverbial cat!). At a certain age, children's curiosity is evoked in almost any topic that is discussed. But, if we are frank, non-judgmental and factual about it, children mostly do understand. It is important to tell the children how addictive and destructive Drugs can be. Show them examples too, if they are handy. But a word of caution here. Condemn the behavior, not the person. That will go a long way in your child turning to you for support, if he is not able to handle life's temptations on his own.

When it comes to Sex, the fears are different. It is not that, we parents want our children to stay away

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