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I agree 100% with Yawkaw that 19 yr. olds do not think as much as they should before they act and I also agree with the poster that remarked that 19 yr olds and around that age kids think they are invincable, I know I did. I feel terrible for the parents of this boy and I hope to God none of us have to suffer what they must be going thru right now. I also believe that this kid probably had no idea that he would not wake up in the morning, he obviously didn't know what he was getting into.
The comment that was made about DARE and the other programs they have for kids nowadays I must disagree with to an extent. Both my kids took DARE and I really honestly believe they learned a lot from this program. They would come home and get on me about my smoking cigarettes and still do. I would also like to applaud Wren and his relationship with his kids, the more open discussion with your kids the better. My kids come home and tell me who smokes and who came to school high. They have come home worried about a friend that was either doing drugs or having sex and asked me to get involved to help this or that kid so they wouldn't get hurt. I don't think you have to constantly snoop through your kids belongings to know whether or not they are getting into trouble. I firmly believe in open discussion with my kids. They know they can tell me anything and it won't get them or their friends in trouble. I had a niece who was having all sorts of problems and was even cutting herself ( a cry for attention) and my kids begged me to have her come live with us so we could help her.
I just think that raising teenage kids in this day and age is a very difficult job to do but you have to be extremely open minded and you have to listen to them, they will tell you if you just listen. I have a 19 yr old and a 14 yr old and am very proud of both my kids. My biggest problem with them is keeping their rooms clean and I pray that that is the worst I'll have to deal with but I know that if one of my kids tried something (drugs) they would come home and tell on themselves because I've always been very upfront with my children and they know that their parents weren't perfect teenagers and they are not expected to be perfect either but whatever they do they know they can come and tell us without worrying that they'll get in trouble for it. I'd rather have them tell me, know what is going on in their life and help them through it then to have to find out by snooping and then punishing just for them to go back out and do something worse just to rebel. I was a very rebelious teenager and I think that most of it was do to the fact that everytime I got caught and was told I wasn't allowed to do this or that, later I would go out and do it tenfold just because. Sorry this is so long but I thought that some parents out there might like to look at it from another standpoint. Bravo Wren, I'll bet you end up with great kids!
Curious

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It really is difficult to raise teens these days. My two oldest kids (23 and 18) never did any drugs or drank so I lucked out there. As a matter of fact, my 18 y.o. son is involved in a sort of 'movement' that is extremely anti-drug, even though he is a heavy metal guitar player. My youngest son (15) is a whole different story.., he has ADD, and these kids are at very high risk for drug and alcohol abuse. Fortunately, his 'big brother' will rat him out at the drop of a hat, for his own good. I have known since last Fall he was experimenting with MJ occassionally. It has become a big bone of contention between us. There was a kid that he suddenly started hanging out with, whose family I did not know. It turns out the boy had an older brother the same age as MY older son, and he gave me the goods on the family. It seems that both the kid's older brothers were into all kinds of drugs, and had been in trouble with the law, kicked out of school, etc. I simply forbade my son from going to the kid's house, in spite of numerous fights about it, and much acrimony because of it. I stuck by my guns. Well, a few months later, the younger boy found his older brother dead from a heroin OD. Believe me, I took no pleasure in being 'right' about this situation, but I knew that I had done the right thing. I made my son go to the viewing, so that he could see the reality of an 18 y.o. kid, dead, in his casket. Did it stop the pot smoking? No...but I certainly hope that somehow, a lesson was learned, and that prayerfully, nothing 'harder' will be experimented with. My point with this long-winded epistle? Parents, trust your instincts and don't be afraid to say "NO".

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Monte Montgomery ROCKS!

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