substances

Have you ever noticed that if you tell people that your 17 and 20 year old kids don't drink alcohol or smoke or do drugs they look at you oddly and say things like: "...as far as you know." and wink or something?

I know what I got away with when I was a teen and I know why I got away with those things.

My kids don't do those things. They just don't. We taught them very early the dangers of those things...experience is a great teacher but not everyone needs to have the experience to know. All of my friend who know my kids know they don't do those things either but try to explain that to others.

It's kind of odd.

I don't kid myself they may, at some point in their lives, try these things. But for now, they're pretty vocal about how idiotic they are (although my son does hang out with friends who drink) but they themselves see what is does to people long range. They know they have relatives who've had substance abuse problems (my uncles and cousins, my hubs grandfather) and they understand there is a genetic predisposition for things like alcoholism. And I think it helps that we didn't drink when they were little...ever. The hub now has a drink in front of them if we go to dinner but I don't and I always drive if he has even 1 drink. My kids have never seen me tipsy. I don't think they've seen their father tipsy either.

It's a good thing they didn't know us in our 20's.

So we've seen the aftermath of strong drink and I think that helped us guide the kids so they aren't drinkers or druggies.

I hope no parent ever has to see their child not able to function and I wish no child ever had to see their parent drunk.