Friday, October 23, 2009

Parents, Instill a Little Fear!

Kids have always grappled with drug use and peer pressure since we can all remember. A teenager makes friends with a certain crowd, that crowd dabbles in a little drug use so the teen follows suite not wanting to be singled out.

Back in my day I was no different. Although my close friends did not partake in drugs I “encountered” random people that did use drugs occasionally. I remember being in high school one sunny afternoon and I was hanging out in a stairwell with some classmates during lunch. These particular classmates decided to smoke a joint right there. I was a little taken aback but I always go with the flow and I can adapt easily. No worries. They began passing this joint around and when it reached me I kindly declined. The one person that I was closest to yelled out, “Oh come on Tee, don’t be a square.” That did not persuade me one way or the other, I was steadfast and the others continued getting high while I watched on.

It was easy for me to say no on that day. It was easy because I was literally afraid. Scared out of my mind. Scared of what you may ask….scared to death my parents would find out and kick my little ass that’s what!

My parents had the uncanny ability to know what I was doing and when. It amazed me that I could walk into the house at any given time and my mother would ask, “ Why did you do that today?” and I’d just look at her in stunned silence. They would never give up their sources. My parents didn’t play. My father was straight old school and believed in kicking a kid’s ass.

I say this to say that parents, YOU are the deterrent your kids need to not take drugs. Instill a little fear in them and they will not step out of line. It sure as hell worked for me.


13 People saying stuff:

Moooooog35 said...

I will follow your advice just as soon as this bottle of Oxycontin is finished.

JStar said...

I DEF feel you here...You have to put that fear in your kids. I take time to explain it all to my kids on how it really is, I'd rather they hear it from me than on the streets...

rachaelgking said...

I'm with you. There's nothing wrong with a (deserved) spanking every now and then- or at least knowing the possibility of one is there.

Senorita said...

I agree with you. I've never tried drugs for the same reasons.

Unknown said...

Dude, I was talking to a client who teaches elementary and he was telling me the other day they caught 6th graders having a THREESOME on the roof of the restrooms. They caught girls giving guys blow jobs in random places. What is with kids?!?! That is why we are bidding on a house with a basement, we are locking our kids up! (That is legal, right?)

Lila said...

In relation to the comment above, I volunteered as a teacher's aide for a few months with a 7th grade class. My main job was to take a group of "behaviourally challenged kids" to the school library so they could study and do work without disrupting the entire class. This group was made up of 3 boys who regularily and on a daily basis asked me if I wanted to smoke weed with them after school and watch porn. One day, one of the boys casually remarked that I had a "nice ass" and that was the last day I ever volunteered in that class.

P.S. Love your blog! :)

Desy said...

i feel you on that for sure... never had any desire to do anything under the strong watchful eye of my father... he was a beast and made sure that he would tear my shit up if i even considered going out of line

Jeni said...

Back in my school days -many, many moons ago -I remember watching a program on tv, a drama special but I don't recall the name of the play now, and it scared the living daylights out of me. It was about drugs and abuse, etc. This was back in the last 50s, early 60s. Anyway, the thing that really scared me was the illegality and I have always been terrified I would get caught and go to jail! Not that that seems to scare anyone these days but it sure did it for me! I experimented with cigarettes a time or two in high school but didn't start till I was 18-19 years old. Drinking -well, we never had beer in the house but always had a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of wine -medicinal purposes, ya know. My Mom always said that if I wanted a drink, I could have one at home. Never had a desire to do that although later, as an adult, I did indulge a good bit in that but now, rarely drink anything. Sex -growing up with my elderly grandparents and my Mom, who was a widow, sex was NEVER mentioned, discussed -nothing -a totally taboo subject. But it was pretty taboo with my peers too. So I grew up dumb and naive and probably still am that in that subject to this day. LOL My kids experimented a lot more than I did though. Oldest daughter does like a little pot I think but my son and younger daughter, want nothing to do with that. Oldest likes wine, my son, sadly has an addiction to alcohol but won't admit that he does and younger daughter, a drink now and again but doesn't like drunks or being one. Go figure, huh? But I have a nephew who is an addict/alcoholic, in/out of jail as well as rehabs several times and his brain is fried. My ex is now a recovering alcoholic which can give kids that gene towards alcoholism though. And as for discipline -I grew up getting spanked occasionally, so did my kids. And yes, occasionally, Maya gets a spank now and again when her behavior warrants punishment. With her and Kurt though sometimes it's difficult to discern what behaviors are from the autism and what are "normal" bad behaviors that most kids their ages have and which warrant discipline. But I do believe a lot of issues today stem from parents allowing too much freedom, handing kids everything they want/ask for too.

Unknown said...

Just taught a lesson about saying "no" to drugs at church today. You'd better believe I'm instilling it in my kids young.

Liam said...

I guess I have been lucky with drugs I tried a few of them and other that the occasional joint I have never found drugs to be my thing. I hope when the time comes my kid is the same.

Hit 40 said...

Good for your mom!! I think I can read my boys still. I hope I do not lose my touch. I can usually tell when something is up.

I have told them the drug rehab stats. The chances of overcoming an addiction is extremely slim. I told them it would be best to just not try it.

B said...

Aren't parents weird like that?! They know everything. It's like they really do have a little birdie that tells them things.

*Tanyetta* said...

I agree with this 10000 percent.