Marijuana supporters put out a lot of false information about risks to an unborn child. Minimizing dangers, even going as far as to say babies born to marijuana users are less fussy and more content. They may choose to believe this misinformation in order to avoid facing their addiction.

Risks of using drugs and alcohol during pregnancy

Smoking: Babies are more likely to be born preterm and with low birth weight.

Alcohol:

Can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Babies born with FAS may have symptoms of alcohol withdrawal shortly after birth. They often have a small head, small eyes, a wide flat nose, and a small jaw. Children with FAS may have growth problems, diminished mental capacity, and emotional problems.

Marijuana: Can cause preterm birth, low birth weight and some studies say it can cause attention problems in children.

Coccaine: Babies born to cocaine users often go through withdrawal symptoms after birth. Fetal growth may be retarded, there is a greater risk of premature labor and abruption of placenta. Babies often have low birth weight, may have feeding problems, and are at greater risk of sids. Children of cocaine addicted mothers may have emotional problems, short attention span, and learning disabilities.

Heroin and other narcotics: Mother is at a greater risk of having preterm labor and having a baby with low birth weight. Babies of heroin addicted moms may have breathing difficulties, hypoglycemia, and intracranial hemorrhage. They also will go through withdrawal after birth.

If you need help

If you think that you have a problem there are places to get help. Please do not wait. One of best places to get help is at Acoholic Anonymous www.aa.org Or you can look in your phone book under alcoholic anonymous. Someone there will gladly help you find meeting locations and someone to talk to.

Resources NIDA March of Dimes American Council for Drug Education

4. Spanking shows your kids that "might makes right”

Adults make mistakes in their lives too, right? Can we use our imaginations and feel what it would be like for someone four times our size to pick us up and swat us on butt? What would we learn from that? Would we feel any injustice? You can bet that your kids are feeling some.

5. Spanking isn't effective in long run

Parents who are asked why they spank will report that they use it to "teach their kids a lesson," or so they won't misbehave again. Many kids who are spanked will go underground with their misbehavior and become more cunning to avoid being caught. (Wouldn't you?) If you're spanking your kids fairly often, doesn't this show that it's not working very well?

I don't believe that kids who are spanked occasionally are ruined for life. Nor do I believe that spanking is necessary to discipline a child. There are countless examples of disciplined and responsible young people who were never spanked by their parents.

Parents who don't spank their kids use time outs, re-directing, or distracting with their kids. They can pick their kids up and let them cool down, or simply leave area themselves so they don't do something they'd regret later.

While these methods aren't always perfect, they help to form foundation of a certain kind of household: One in which violence is not "taught" as a means to better behavior.

After all, we live in a world that's filled with violence.

Can't we provide a place for our kids where there isn't any?

Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC, coaches men to be better fathers and husbands. He is the author of “25 Secrets of Emotionally Intelligent Fathers” http://www.markbrandenburg.com/father.htm For more great tips and action steps for fathers, sign up for his FREE bi-weekly newsletter, “Dads, Don’t Fix Your Kids,” at http://www.markbrandenburg.com.