“We have 4 years with our high schoolers. It is a very very short time. I have watched my older children, now 26 and 24 move from teens to women. The opportunities to teach our kids in the teen years are limitless. I hope we can learn from mistakes parents before us have made. I learned if a rule is not clear it will be broken. I learned some kids will drink and some will not. I learned some parents allow drinking to the point of vomiting, some take car keys, some go down to the neighbors house when kids are drinking. I learned some don’t allow drinking and tell kids the rule – No drinking or drugs in my home and I am watching.

Now comes the really sad part….

My family has experienced first hand what can happen when kids numb themselves. My family member was dealing with BIG issues of which I was only vaguely aware. She had learned you could self medicate with pills and alcohol. It took no time at all before she tried, I think in hindsight to take her life. You and I do not know what is going on in our kid’s friend life. If that kid is coming to our house to drink, to do drugs, to numb themselves from some pain and your teenager is their as an unknowing witness or participant, your participation or absence of participation is putting everyone in a dangerous position.