As we enter the festive season, our hearts turn toward celebration, reunion, and rest. Homes fill with laughter, tables with food, and the air with the promise of joy. Yet, in this season of abundance, a quiet but powerful classroom is in session.
Our children are not just sharing in the festivities; they are observing, absorbing, and learning from the most influential teachers in their lives: us, their parents and guardians.
This period, perhaps more than any other, underscores a truth we at the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) hold fundamental: parental role modelling is not merely a part of prevention, it is its very cornerstone.
Before any school programme or public campaign, a child’s first understanding of substances, their use, and their place in society is formed at home. The basics of positive parenting- connection, communication, clear boundaries, and consistent behaviour- are the pillars upon which a resilient, drug-free future is built.
Think for a moment about the Kenyan context of our celebrations. It is often characterised by gatherings where alcohol flows freely, where adults may casually misuse prescription drugs to manage “holiday stress,” or where cannabis is joked about as a party accessory. In homesteads across the country, from bustling urban estates to serene rural villages, children witness a dangerous normalisation.
They see the uncle who “can’t celebrate without a drink,” the aunt who becomes loud and unpredictable, or the parent who insists that “a little something” is needed to relax and have fun. To a young, impressionable mind, the message is subtly transmitted: This is what adulthood looks like. This is how we cope. This is how we socialise.
The developmental stages of childhood and adolescence grant them uniquely impressionable minds. Their brains are wiring themselves for life, building associations between actions, rewards, and social acceptance.
When they observe the adults they trust and love turning to substances for enjoyment or relief, they internalise a profound lesson. The consequences of this lesson become devastatingly clear when these children reach young adulthood.
According to the most recent Nacada statistics, substance use in universities is at an alarming peak, with 45 per cent of university students reporting alcohol use, and a staggering 12 per cent of students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) institutions found to be using illicit drugs like cannabis and cocaine.
This is not a coincidence; it is often the culmination of years of normalised behaviour witnessed at home and social media spaces. The curiosity to experiment does not emerge from a vacuum; it is seeded in the fertile ground of observed adult behaviour and blossoms in the perceived freedom of campus life.
This is where parental disregard, the careless bottle left open, the whispered “don’t tell your mother,” the prioritisation of intoxication over engagement, morphs from a personal choice into a generational liability. We cannot, on one hand, warn our youth against the dangers of drug abuse while, on the other, crafting an environment where those very substances are central to our own celebration and coping mechanisms.
It is a contradiction that the adolescent mind is astute at detecting and cynical about rejecting. Consider this: over 39 per cent of university students who use substances started before the age of 20, highlighting the critical window of adolescence where parental influence is paramount. What we do, or fail to do, in our homes during these formative years directly writes the script for their future choices.
Resilience and self-worth
I recognise that this responsibility can feel daunting. Many parents and caregivers ask, “How do I get this right?” To support this vital role, Nacada has developed a Positive Parenting Program, a structured platform where adults can acquire practical skills to strengthen family bonds and steer their children away from substance use risks.
This programme provides tools for effective communication, setting healthy boundaries, recognising early signs of vulnerability, and creating a home environment that fosters resilience and self-worth. It is a resource built on evidence and empathy, designed to empower you with confidence and clarity in your parenting journey.
Therefore, my heartfelt appeal this season is for a conscious celebration. Let us model the values we wish to instil. Let our festivities be defined by genuine connection: playing games with our children, sharing stories, volunteering in community service, and enjoying the natural beauty of our country.
Let us demonstrate that joy is found in presence, not in impairment. This is the essence of positive parenting in prevention—creating a home environment of openness where children feel valued and heard, so they do not seek validation in a bottle or a pill.
The most effective prevention strategy is not a billboard or a seminar; it is the lived example of a responsible adult. This festive season, the greatest gift you can give your child is not a new phone or fancy clothes. It is the gift of a clear-eyed, present, and engaged parent.
It is the gift of showing them, through your own choices, that a full and happy life requires no artificial enhancers. Let us be the role models they deserve, for in shaping our behaviour, we are ultimately shaping Kenya’s future, one conscious choice at a time.
