Just Say No
Ever since we decided to become parents, I have worried about raising The Boy "right". Knowing right from wrong. Making good choices. Being a good citizen. If the parents are good people, the child will be good people. Right?
From the very beginning I have whispered to him. "Don't do drugs." "Don't have sex." I did this at a wedding reception when he was just 16 months old and a friend overheard me. "Don't you think you might just be putting ideas into his head?" he asked. Hmmmmm, I never thought about that. "Maybe, but I am also sending the message that it's wrong."
I never experimented with illegal substances. I always joked that there were two men in the state of Montana who, like me, never used drugs and I married both of them. Of course I know that's not likely true. But, I know more people who have used than people who haven't used.
All three of my brothers experimented at one time in their lives. We were all raised by the same parents in the same way. What made the difference with me? Why was I able to just say no?
Part of my job is collecting on past due bills. I spoke with a man who fully intends to pay his bill. Someday. When he can. Can I just give him some time? He is flat broke because he is paying the legal fees for his son to try to keep him out of prison. His son is a 33 year old professional man who got messed up in the world of meth. How the hell does that happen?
It is probably the most widely used and abused drug in Montana.
Our state is waging a war on this drug. People have criticized this action saying we are minimizing the dangers of other drugs. But this is bad shit. It's easy to make, easy to get, and highly addictive. There are TV commercials. Full page newspaper ads. Billboards. Search Montana Meth Project and have a look. They are graphic, and, I hope, effective.
I worry. Rightly so. I am educating myself. Knowledge is power.
And, I will keep whispering to my son.
From the very beginning I have whispered to him. "Don't do drugs." "Don't have sex." I did this at a wedding reception when he was just 16 months old and a friend overheard me. "Don't you think you might just be putting ideas into his head?" he asked. Hmmmmm, I never thought about that. "Maybe, but I am also sending the message that it's wrong."
I never experimented with illegal substances. I always joked that there were two men in the state of Montana who, like me, never used drugs and I married both of them. Of course I know that's not likely true. But, I know more people who have used than people who haven't used.
All three of my brothers experimented at one time in their lives. We were all raised by the same parents in the same way. What made the difference with me? Why was I able to just say no?
Part of my job is collecting on past due bills. I spoke with a man who fully intends to pay his bill. Someday. When he can. Can I just give him some time? He is flat broke because he is paying the legal fees for his son to try to keep him out of prison. His son is a 33 year old professional man who got messed up in the world of meth. How the hell does that happen?
It is probably the most widely used and abused drug in Montana.
Our state is waging a war on this drug. People have criticized this action saying we are minimizing the dangers of other drugs. But this is bad shit. It's easy to make, easy to get, and highly addictive. There are TV commercials. Full page newspaper ads. Billboards. Search Montana Meth Project and have a look. They are graphic, and, I hope, effective.
I worry. Rightly so. I am educating myself. Knowledge is power.
And, I will keep whispering to my son.
posted by Well-heeled mom @ 7:43 AM
4 Comments:
At 8:34 AM,
Kim Strahan said…
I could not agree more! My brother is an ER doctor and I asked him if he saw a lot of meth and he said more than anything else. He thinks that meth should be legal with before and after pictures because meth addicts are u-g-l-y.
Keep whispering!
At 9:31 AM,
DD said…
I am very frightened of this aspect as well. I wasn't as good of a girl you were, but I'm glad I was able to leave that life behind 15 years ago.
One of the men who was in our wedding was just released from jail for the manufacturing and dist. of meth. He is not the same man who was in our wedding, who was charming, handsome, and outgoing. He now shamefully hides his mouth (teeth are gone) and he has the look of death in his eyes. I feel the sorriest for him when I realize he is 42, has never been married and has no children...and sadly he probably never will. His death will more than likely be lonely and painful because he got sucked into the easy high of meth.
At 12:30 PM,
Not-So-Normal-Mom said…
I married a meth user in my younger days, and it was a world of hurt. Meth is a very powerful drug that the whole nation is wrapped up in. It's not just Montana, sweetie! My sister was also a long time user who spent some time in jail. Keep whispering, I do as well. Sometimes I even shout it.
At 5:32 AM,
Foxxy One said…
A dear friend of mine's sister almost died in a meth lab explosion in her home. My friend got temporary custody of her niece and the stories this child told would make the hardest heart ache.
Keep whispering... I know I am.
Post a Comment
<< Home