Get between your kids and drugs any way you can.
Carroll O’Connor, whose real life son committed suicide after a lifetime of struggling with addiction.
I’ve been noticing some blog posts about stealth software (used by parents to secretly monitor their kids’ online interactions) and feel a need to chime in. The opinions that I’ve been reading are vehemently against it. If we want information from our kids, we should just ask for it. Snooping is bad parenting. It only breeds resentment.
Then again, I think that some of these folks are parents of still-young children, just as I was when I, too, held their opinions. I still remember the day when my son was seven or so and walking home from school, for example. An older boy walked up to him and asked him if he had drugs. My son took off, ran home as fast as he could, and locked himself in his bedroom.
Ah, “good times, good times,” as my daughter would say.
But, that was then – before my son grew and I caught a glimpse of what life is like for too many teens today.
TEEN SUICIDE, WebMD, Sept. 6, 2007 — There is a sharp rise in suicides across the board in teens, says the CDC…
Suicides are up 76% in girls aged 10-14, up 32% in girls aged 15-19, and up 9% in boys aged 15-19. It’s the biggest spike in 15 years…
“This is a dramatic and huge increase” in pre-teen and teen suicide,… We are seeing this increase in significantly younger Americans than we have seen in the past.”
CUTTING, WebMD, July 20, 2007 — A new study shows that teen self-injury, such as cutting, may be more common than previously thought…
The survey focused on various types of deliberate self-injury, including cutting or burning skin, and biting or hitting oneself…
About 46% of the students reported some form of self-injury within the previous year…
VIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS, WebMD, April 14, 2006 — Abuse in dating relationships is common among teens. In the United States, 33% of teens reporting some kind of abuse and 12% reporting physical abuse…
Bullying, bigotry, depression, eating disorders, abuse of illegal and prescription drugs – and alcohol,… what am I forgetting?
Where troubled teens are concerned, my advice to those who ask for mine is, “Don’t listen to advice.” It’s not that most don’t mean well; it’s just that your child’s life may (or may not) be hanging in the balance and you just don’t have the luxury of wasting time or making grave mistakes taking advice from people who just don’t know.
Not that we don’t all have opinions, based upon our own experiences. Mine? If you feel that something’s wrong, by all means use whatever tools are at your disposal. Get the software. Be nosy. Disrespect their privacy. Without getting into a whole lot of detail, it’s what I did, despite my initial reservations. Years later, my son never misses an opportunity to thank me and tell me that he wouldn’t be alive today had I not. Oh, yeah. Not only does he trust me; I also walk on water, did you know?
Hey, have you read “Hold On to Your Kids” by Gordon Neufeld? Truly a life-changing parenting book. He talks about how untried and irresponsible it is for parents essentially to allow other kids to bring up their children, and he challenges parents to reclaim their children’s time and create a family-centered lifestyle for all family members. And as far as I can tell, he’s pretty darn liberal–no weird religious natterings or anything. Hard-hitting and very convicting. Your post just made me think of it…
Thanks, Molly, for your perfect comment!
That’s exactly it! “Kids bringing up other kids.” The exaggerated influence of peers, a seizing of the child’s mind with the self-defeating thoughts and behaviors of teen culture. To which they often feel powerless. They really do want help. Despite the belligerent and defiant airs.
There are lots of great reasons to homeschool; but this stuff is one of the best.
Thanks for the book recommendation, too! I will check it out. :)