Partying on New Years Eve - Some players are choosing to abstain...

That's an interesting topic and I hope it can be discussed respectfully.  

I think that raising kids to be 100% alcohol and drug free is fine and that living as an adult 100% alcohol and drug free is also perfectly fine.

But I know that it doesn't always work out that way, and that often the college kids who find themselves getting a ambulance ride to the ER on one of their first Saturday nights on campus, or worse, are the kids who have never had a drink before, and/or never learned from adults earlier in their lives that it is actually possible to drink  without getting drunk.

Where we agree 100% is on driving.  This NYE our 2017 stayed, with our approval, at the home of folks who  countenance drinking by kids as long as they surrender their keys and sleep over.   Now, I don't know what if anything my kid drank NYE - he probably had at least a couple, but  I didn't ask.   On that particular night,  no question he'd be safer off the road than on it, even without drinking a drop.

JCG posted:

That's an interesting topic and I hope it can be discussed respectfully.  

I think that raising kids to be 100% alcohol and drug free is fine and that living as an adult 100% alcohol and drug free is also perfectly fine.

But I know that it doesn't always work out that way, and that often the college kids who find themselves getting a ambulance ride to the ER on one of their first Saturday nights on campus, or worse, are the kids who have never had a drink before, and/or never learned from adults earlier in their lives that it is actually possible to drink  without getting drunk.

Where we agree 100% is on driving.  This NYE our 2017 stayed, with our approval, at the home of folks who  countenance drinking by kids as long as they surrender their keys and sleep over.   Now, I don't know what if anything my kid drank NYE - he probably had at least a couple, but  I didn't ask.   On that particular night,  no question he'd be safer off the road than on it, even without drinking a drop.

The kids who wind up in the ambulance on their first Saturday night at college are kids who have never drunk alcohol, kids who have drunk alcohol, rich kids, poor kids, older kids, younger kids, oldest child, youngest child, only child....alcohol doesn't discriminate.

The choice on whether or not to drink it is often shaped by our experience with it, or the memories of other peoples experience. I've known people who had one or two drinks socially, and I have known people that 100 was never enough, and one was too many. All we can do is give our kids information, in whatever form we see fit, and hope for the best.

Our 18 year old is alcohol free. He's very rule oriented, it's against the law for him to drink, so he doesn't. Not even communion wine.

My daughter will turn 21 in a few days. We've had long conversations, and a few taste tests in the privacy of our home, in the hopes that she will learn what she LIKES and drink that, rather than drinking to get drunk.

Our son spent NYE at a friend's house, just him, his girlfriend and a couple of other guys — including his best friend's 6-month old nephew. Some people were surprised we were okay with him and his girlfriend being without adult supervision. Honestly if a six month old won't make you abstain, not much will.

Do you ever wonder if OUR parents put this much thought and discussion in our our sex lives/alcohol use, etc?

Make sure if your kids (and you) have an opportunity to hear Chris Herren speak...you take it.  His story is very powerful and made a big impact in our community.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Herren

Alcohol is legal.  It’s not a sin to drink (but it is to get drunk).  Yet, with all of that, I tell my kids to stay far away from it.   It will do you zero good.  Taking off the edge, loosening up socially, etc., are all cases of using alcohol as a crutch.   Next time you have a bad day or are uncomfortable socially, you’ve already trained yourself to run to your crutch. 

Buzzard05 posted:

Make sure if your kids (and you) have an opportunity to hear Chris Herren speak...you take it.  His story is very powerful and made a big impact in our community.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Herren

He spoke at my son's school and made quite an impression.  Kids talk about it months later.

Not to be Pollyanna, but drinking is illegal if you're under 21. Our HS will kick you off the team if you're caught with a Red Solo cup in a picture - let alone caught actually drinking - whether you were drinking or not. I had eight 16-17 year-old young men at my house on New Year's Eve -- all athletes -- who don't and won't drink. I saw a group text among other young men trying to figure out where they could go to drink on NYE because most parents knew what they were up to and wouldn't let them drink at their house.  This is what can happen if you let kids drink at your house - this happened at a nearby high school not long ago:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/..._websep27-story.html 

Midwest Mom posted:

Not to be Pollyanna, but drinking is illegal if you're under 21. Our HS will kick you off the team if you're caught with a Red Solo cup in a picture - let alone caught actually drinking - whether you were drinking or not. I had eight 16-17 year-old young men at my house on New Year's Eve -- all athletes -- who don't and won't drink. I saw a group text among other young men trying to figure out where they could go to drink on NYE because most parents knew what they were up to and wouldn't let them drink at their house.  This is what can happen if you let kids drink at your house - this happened at a nearby high school not long ago:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/..._websep27-story.html 

 

It's not just drinking. One of his teammates came over a few months ago, frantic. His girlfriend had called, she was drunk at a party and needed a ride and he didn't want to go alone. The two boys went and got her. Neither my husband or I was home to steer them away from this choice.

Neither one drinks, so that didn't concern me. What did is, if they had gotten caught at the party, it wouldn't matter if they drank or not. 

It's so hard for kids to understand that not only do they have to make their own good choices, they have to choose friends who make good choices. And if their friends don't, they have to cut them off. That's hard.

Uber.  Make sure you kids have the app.

I do think that Uber has made those that drink, drink more, knowing they have a safe way home.

In high school, I always told my kids I will pick them up ...no questions asked... if they were ever uncomfortable at a party, or just want to come home.  Only had to do it once.

Sadly at this age, the muscle development is light years ahead of the brain development. 

By the grace of God they go.  

keewart posted:

Uber.  Make sure you kids have the app.

I do think that Uber has made those that drink, drink more, knowing they have a safe way home.

In high school, I always told my kids I will pick them up ...no questions asked... if they were ever uncomfortable at a party, or just want to come home.  Only had to do it once.

We did the same.  Just one addition - there would be a discussion later when everyone has had time to think.

I agree with early responses. I made a lot of poor choices when I was younger in regards to alcohol and drugs. I don't blame my parents but have definitely done things differently with my oldest children. They are far more educated about how alcohol/drugs effect the body along with other factors that might influence their high. I occasionaly remind them that there are certain opportunities that will only be available to them early in life (such as college athletics). Although one of them will probably find this story that I read the other day and present it as evidence to the contrary. 61-year old grandpa joins college golf team

We give them a lot of freedom, at the same time reminding them that freedom is a result of making good choices as it is in life. I spend a lot of time talking with my children, not lecturing them. I encourage open lines of communication and have realistic expectations. We talk about peer pressure and the options they can use to get out of a difficult situation. I don't know how well this is going to work with my youngest two but we are going to give it a go. Hoping my oldest two will have good things to say and share with the younger ones!

Great conversation/discussion.  My son just turned 21 in December.  We've always been honest about alcohol and what it can do for you....and what it can take away from you.  My son like Iowamom's is very rule orientated.  He'd never drank before his 21st bday.  There's always a right or wrong and never grey to him.  Leading up to his big 21st I began talking to him about all alcohol wasn't created equal and that it was important to have true friends around you that will have respected you and not try to get you drunk.  He wanted to go out and eat and be able to order a dos equis legally.  Don't ask me why, but this was his first drink of choice.  I educated him that all alcohol was not created equal.  A little back story is his biological dad was an alcoholic, a teammate drove drunk this past year and killed another human being and right before his 21st bday there was an incident at campus of an assault that was likely due to over indulgence with some sort of chemical/alcohol that he had to deal with being a RHS.   I explained to him that we didn't know how he would respond to alcohol and we were just worried.  After a day of thinking he called to let his dad and I know that he'd waited 21 years to take his first drink he would wait until he came home for Christmas break to order his first beverage so that his dad and I would be there to make sure all was good. He came and ordered that first  beer and hated it.  (Secretly I was cheering inside)  He tried 2 more sips and even added lime and salt and said I'm sorry I don't like it and it's not for me.  That was that.  He was curious we talked to him about it....real life happened and although we couldn't stop him we tried our best as parents to educate him.  Ultimately it is up to them.  We are not anti alcohol.... husband and I both have a few drinks several times a year, but it's not something we do often and my children have never seen me drunk.  We have 4 kids and I know our baby of 4 will likely not stay on the path that his older brother has chosen and will likely test boundaries more so than the others....so I say that for everyone to know each child is different.......but we have taught our children right is right and wrong is always wrong.  We respect the law...husband is a cop....and we lead our life that way.  It's not easy...and sometimes we pay the price for this choice, but so far it's working.  We aren't naive in thinking that he hasn't done things we probably aren't so proud of at one point or another, but for the most part our stance on things has been pretty clear.  We are living the life we expect our children to live and trying to lead by example and not with words alone.  We are trying to continually invest in them and use moments in life to help them grow into better human beings.  I think it's okay to not opt in to the parties.  Everyone in high school that knew our son and respected him to not speak about their plans in front of him because they knew he wasn't into that.  He lost some friends because of this choice, but he gained more respect from those who respected his stance, even if they didn't agree with it. He never passed judgment, and would help anyone he could.  I think many people consider those who don't drink and party as weak, yet they are the stronger ones for not falling into peer pressure just for the sake of being one of the guys. He's got a lot of life to live yet and their will be ups and downs, but I'm glad we took the path we have.  It's served us all well so far.  There are a lot more of these kinds of kids out there and I'm hoping they become the rule and not the exception. 

Freshman initiation by the baseball team was enough to make my son think differently about excessive consumption of alcohol. We were totally against the long standing tradition and nearly pulled the plug on not communicating with the coaches. There was a freshman death weeks earlier at a frat initiation party, but still had no effect at stopping this tradition. Buckets of alcohol was to be consumed by the freshman. Upperclassmen chauffeured them to different locations to perform stupid human tricks. In the end, no one was injured, only hungover and most learned moderation was best. 

I think it's best to have open conversations about alcohol abuse in college and it's dangers. However, expecting them to not consume just because it not legal is foolish. Remind them that there are consequences, and they can damage everything that they have worked hard to accomplish. 

Now that my son is in his final year and the upperclassmen, we are hopeful that he remembers the humiliation of freshman initiation and that he chooses to use better judgment. One can only be hopeful!

It would be interesting to know how baseball programs at some schools approach the issue, and whether or not the players generally adhere to the overall culture of their schools.

I heard from a friend who has a kid at a D1 that hasn't had a winning season in a while that the coach, who is new this year, told his players that they hadn't earned the right to party and he would cut any players who did.  

I know my son did a couple of overnights with players at schools he looked at. At least at one school the players were drinking, offered him alcohol, and when he refused, said "yea, we didn't drink in high school either."

Some great replies! None of us claiming to be super parents, but all have our own ideas on the subject and our own experiences that shaped those views. 

My experience has traveled the full spectrum of the world of alcohol. Had 2 alcoholic parents, one functioning and one not. Mom functioned and worked, dad lived for the bar. I spent a majority of my childhood in the bar with them watching them drink - the 70's.  Saw my dad wreck his car several times, once broke every major bone in his body and in a wheelchair for half a year.  As a teen, saw close friends get into accidents with major injuries, a death and a boyfriend in my 9th grade year died on his own vomit after passing out in the bushes while walking home in our neighborhood. Fast forward, married into a Mormon family where the only beer they partied with was rootbeer. A real switch. What is comfortable is usually gonna be to do what the people one is surrounded with do.

It would be great if every athlete saw themselves as the high performance machine they can be. That aspect has really helped my son stay away from most things harmful to his body and mind (except for the occasional fast food burger, although he doesn't drink soda either). He knows that he'll slow down and not function at top performance, and luckily he learned that all from experience during track and football conditioning. I think that was way more effective that than any lectures or sad stories he's heard from us about the pitfalls of partying and consuming mind altering drugs of any kind. 

Picked Off posted:

Freshman initiation by the baseball team was enough to make my son think differently about excessive consumption of alcohol. We were totally against the long standing tradition and nearly pulled the plug on not communicating with the coaches. There was a freshman death weeks earlier at a frat initiation party, but still had no effect at stopping this tradition. Buckets of alcohol was to be consumed by the freshman. Upperclassmen chauffeured them to different locations to perform stupid human tricks. In the end, no one was injured, only hungover and most learned moderation was best. 

I think it's best to have open conversations about alcohol abuse in college and it's dangers. However, expecting them to not consume just because it not legal is foolish. Remind them that there are consequences, and they can damage everything that they have worked hard to accomplish. 

Now that my son is in his final year and the upperclassmen, we are hopeful that he remembers the humiliation of freshman initiation and that he chooses to use better judgment. One can only be hopeful!

My son would have a real problem being in that program. 

I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them.

HS hasn't been that bad. He's pretty popular and most won't mess with him. Although they have learned not to offer him a drink lol. College will be different and I'm worried if he has a lot of teammates who drink they may not appreciate his opinion. 

Scotty83 posted:

I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them.

HS hasn't been that bad. He's pretty popular and most won't mess with him. Although they have learned not to offer him a drink lol. College will be different and I'm worried if he has a lot of teammates who drink they may not appreciate his opinion. 

He will either learn to keep his opinion to himself or he will have a lonely 4 years. Unless it is somehow personally affecting you I believe you should NEVER offer your opinion on drinking, smoking, religion, politics, or your friends significant other. When they ask "what do you think about her?"....RUN, it never ends well!

CaCO3Girl posted:

Scotty83 posted:

I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them.

HS hasn't been that bad. He's pretty popular and most won't mess with him. Although they have learned not to offer him a drink lol. College will be different and I'm worried if he has a lot of teammates who drink they may not appreciate his opinion. 

He will either learn to keep his opinion to himself or he will have a lonely 4 years. Unless it is somehow personally affecting you I believe you should NEVER offer your opinion on drinking, smoking, religion, politics, or your friends significant other. When they ask "what do you think about her?"....RUN, it never ends well!

But, didn't you just offer an opinion on all five? It's your opinion that no one should offer an opinion about those subjects. 

Iowamom23 posted:

I know my son did a couple of overnights with players at schools he looked at. At least at one school the players were drinking, offered him alcohol, and when he refused, said "yea, we didn't drink in high school either."

 

mine had the exact same experience. He actually just got set up with roommates for next year, he told me he intentionally worked a group that is clean and don't party real hard. His words to me were "I can always find a party I don't need to live it." That being said he did return to near campus for New Years...I assume for a reason!

All in all he seems to have a decent balance.

CaCO3Girl posted:

Scotty83 posted:

I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them.

HS hasn't been that bad. He's pretty popular and most won't mess with him. Although they have learned not to offer him a drink lol. College will be different and I'm worried if he has a lot of teammates who drink they may not appreciate his opinion. 

He will either learn to keep his opinion to himself or he will have a lonely 4 years. Unless it is somehow personally affecting you I believe you should NEVER offer your opinion on drinking, smoking, religion, politics, or your friends significant other. When they ask "what do you think about her?"....RUN, it never ends well!

If your opinion is "I don't drink so no one should" i don't think that's going to be a productive opinion to share. If your opinion is "I don't drink, but I respect your right to make your own decisions within the boundaries of safety and the law" that seems reasonable. And if your opinion is "I understand you choose to drink, but dude, you're out of control and I love you but I think you have a problem" you have an obligation to share it, regardless of the outcome.

And my son did have to tell his best friend he very much disliked his girlfriend. When I asked what he was going to do about it, though, he shrugged and said, he's my best friend. I don't have much choice but to put up with her. When they broke up, our whole family celebrated.

IMO, the way you approach alcohol use is a personal thing and no one should criticize how others decided to deal with it.  If you don't want to drink, don't drink.  If you want to drink, drink.  I get it there is peer pressure to drink, but giving your kids the tools to make a smart decision is the best thing you can do for them.

My wife and I have always been open with our kids about our past.  They know we partied in HS, they know we partied in college.  Heck they have probably seen some of our Vegas pictures.  On the other hand we were very open with them about the consequences of drinking.  They know my brother chose to drink and drive one night and ended up flipping my mom's car.  Thankfully there were no real injuries but a huge legal bill.  They knew that the choice to drink could get them kicked off the HS teams.  There is a zero tolerance policy at our HS.  Even if you are not drinking but are with others who are, you are kicked off the team.  They know about stupid choices that are made when one is drinking.

They even knew that there really was not going to be a punishment if they went out drinking in HS.  Other then the one rule, "If you drink and drive, or get in a car with someone who is drinking and driving, there will be consequences.  No more car, no more sports, no more going out with your friends.  But...if you call us to come get you, no questions will be asked, no punishment will be given".  

According to my kids neither of them choose to drink in HS.  They both waited to graduation.  At that point they openly drank with us.  Yes they were under 21, but its not something that we have an issue with.  When each one turned 18 we took them to Cancun; where they are allowed to legally drink.  We never offered them a drink, but let them decide if they wanted one.

They both drink while away at school, thats not something I can control.  At this point they are adults and can make their own decisions.  Hopefully we have imparted enough knowledge in them allowing them to make the proper decisions.  I know at times that does not happen, but IMO thats part of what college is about.  They are in the pseudo real world.

Now when it comes to sports and drinking, its my guess that many programs have a similar policy to the one my coaches had when I was in college.  We were not allowed to drink in season.  Didn't matter if you were 21 or not, no in season drinking was allowed.  That said it was one of those rules that was fairly ignored.  It was only enforced if the drinking was causing an on field issue or a legal problem.  No one really had an issue with someone having a beer with dinner or a glass of wine.  I think the rule was in place in case they did have an issue with something or someone.  If the coach heard about a party the night before and you were dragging in practice, you were going to get called into his office.  

CaCO3Girl posted:

Scotty83 posted:

I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them.

HS hasn't been that bad. He's pretty popular and most won't mess with him. Although they have learned not to offer him a drink lol. College will be different and I'm worried if he has a lot of teammates who drink they may not appreciate his opinion. 

He will either learn to keep his opinion to himself or he will have a lonely 4 years. Unless it is somehow personally affecting you I believe you should NEVER offer your opinion on drinking, smoking, religion, politics, or your friends significant other. When they ask "what do you think about her?"....RUN, it never ends well!

He only comments when it does effect him but even without a comment he will choose not to associate with drinkers. 

To me this is one of those "fit" things. His top choice school is a small D2 that's very religious. He would fit in great at this school but he's going to go where he can play baseball. Hopefully it will work out to where he can play at this school. He wouldn't fit in well at a party school but would go there to play. It's just unfortunate there aren't a lot of schools like his top school to choose from. 

Son went on a road trip to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl with a few buddies and met up with a lot of other team mates who were there. At one point my wife said they were texting and he said "Mom....this is place is incredibly crazy-fun but seems dangerous." He said the 4 days there felt like 7. When i learned he was playing BlackJack at 5am to7am in a casino after a night out my first question was.................................................................did you win?

EDIT: Son has been 21 since August.

Oh, yeah.  That's right.  Your boy pitches for Clemson.  For a minute I was like, huh?  New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl?

Scotty83 posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

Scotty83 posted:

I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them.

HS hasn't been that bad. He's pretty popular and most won't mess with him. Although they have learned not to offer him a drink lol. College will be different and I'm worried if he has a lot of teammates who drink they may not appreciate his opinion. 

He will either learn to keep his opinion to himself or he will have a lonely 4 years. Unless it is somehow personally affecting you I believe you should NEVER offer your opinion on drinking, smoking, religion, politics, or your friends significant other. When they ask "what do you think about her?"....RUN, it never ends well!

He only comments when it does effect him but even without a comment he will choose not to associate with drinkers. 

To me this is one of those "fit" things. His top choice school is a small D2 that's very religious. He would fit in great at this school but he's going to go where he can play baseball. Hopefully it will work out to where he can play at this school. He wouldn't fit in well at a party school but would go there to play. It's just unfortunate there aren't a lot of schools like his top school to choose from. 

Almost every school, including the party schools, have options for living communities where students can choose to live with people they have characteristics in common with — whether that's not drinking, majors or other criteria. It may mean he doesn't bond as tightly with his baseball team, but if he objects to some of their lifestyle choices, it may offer him the best of a few different worlds.

CaCO3Girl posted: He will either learn to keep his opinion to himself or he will have a lonely 4 years. Unless it is somehow personally affecting you I believe you should NEVER offer your opinion on drinking, smoking, religion, politics, or your friends significant other. When they ask "what do you think about her?"....RUN, it never ends well!

 I agree talking about those things more often than not leads someplace you don’t want to be, but avoiding talking about them only allows ignorance and stupidity to flourish, and doesn’t teach anyone how to communicate. Burying one’s head in the sand doesn’t help anyone.

Stats4Gnats posted:

CaCO3Girl posted: He will either learn to keep his opinion to himself or he will have a lonely 4 years. Unless it is somehow personally affecting you I believe you should NEVER offer your opinion on drinking, smoking, religion, politics, or your friends significant other. When they ask "what do you think about her?"....RUN, it never ends well!

 I agree talking about those things more often than not leads someplace you don’t want to be, but avoiding talking about them only allows ignorance and stupidity to flourish, and doesn’t teach anyone how to communicate. Burying one’s head in the sand doesn’t help anyone.

There is a HUGE difference in burying your head in the sand when someone has a drinking problem vs. what prompted this "I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them."

There are plenty of things to talk about in this world. 

Luckily my 13 yo does not have to deal with this yet. The latest school controversy is vaping.

CaCO3Girl posted: There is a HUGE difference in burying your head in the sand when someone has a drinking problem vs. what prompted this "I'm much less worried about my son drinking in college as I am him ostracizing himself for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them."

There are plenty of things to talk about in this world. 

If someone is ostracized for his opinion on drinking and those who drink and his willingness to tell them, either his position needs to be re-evaluated, or the group he’s trying to become a part of needs to be re-evaluated.

Yes, there are an infinite number of things to discuss, but if one isn’t willing to stand up for what s/he believes, perhaps it isn’t worth believing in it.  

2022NYC posted:

Luckily my 13 yo does not have to deal with this yet. The latest school controversy is vaping.

Don't be too confident on that. We have far too many kids in grades 6-8 who already are using alcohol and drugs. I'm shocked, but apparently it happens more than I would have believed.

So...

I grew up on the outskirts of a larger city. Lived a sheltered life in ways. Went to a small christen school with 10 other students in my class. Was shipped into an intercity school for HS. Was quite the shock. Drugs of every kind were sold openly in the parking lot. Watched kids walk right up to the doors of the school hitting a joint. Fights, assaults, teen pregnancy (a lot).  Remember a girl, cheerleader. Her parents forbid her to date. I know this because there was always a car that parked at the bottom of the lot early in the morning. Apparently it was the said girl doing her current boyfriend.

My wife grew up in a small town and went to HS in a small town. She confided in me one time they use to make "bridge runs". They'd go park on a bridge and make out with their boyfriends.

So now the wife will be like "OMG I think the kid may be drinking with his friends", or "I think some of the people he hangs out with smoke pot". I'm like "yea might be" (drinking that is, he's already been tested 2 or 3 times at school). I don't like it. Wished he didn't. I've told him the things I seen and done and the consequences they've had. But it's his life now. And I've seen so much worse. The one thing I really hammer him about is doing any of the above and driving. I try to make him understand prison would be horrific for a young man such as himself, and whoever he hits doesn't deserve to pay for his poor judgment.

Iowamom23 posted:

2022NYC posted:

Luckily my 13 yo does not have to deal with this yet. The latest school controversy is vaping.

Don't be too confident on that. We have far too many kids in grades 6-8 who already are using alcohol and drugs. I'm shocked, but apparently it happens more than I would have believed.

concur. my wife is a middle school principal in an affluent suburb.  happens at that level these days.  though not as bad as at the hs level.

My son is a college freshman living at school.  I have let him sample bear and wine at the house a few times over the past few years.  I have also made it a point to never drink and drive, so I am hoping I set a good example.   So far, he has chosen not to drink.  He was telling us over the break that some of the older players work as bouncers at the local bars, so he can get in any time he wants.  But he has no desire to party at this point.  

joes87 posted:

Iowamom23 posted:

2022NYC posted:

Luckily my 13 yo does not have to deal with this yet. The latest school controversy is vaping.

Don't be too confident on that. We have far too many kids in grades 6-8 who already are using alcohol and drugs. I'm shocked, but apparently it happens more than I would have believed.

concur. my wife is a middle school principal in an affluent suburb.  happens at that level these days.  though not as bad as at the hs level.

Sadly in my region our middle schools has a opioid problem. Yes middle school! My kids go to a smaller Parochial School with a pretty active parent association and sometimes too active parenting. However,  I find myself fortunate that the biggest issue is vaping experimentation.

2022NYC posted:

joes87 posted:

Iowamom23 posted:

2022NYC posted:

Luckily my 13 yo does not have to deal with this yet. The latest school controversy is vaping.

Don't be too confident on that. We have far too many kids in grades 6-8 who already are using alcohol and drugs. I'm shocked, but apparently it happens more than I would have believed.

concur. my wife is a middle school principal in an affluent suburb.  happens at that level these days.  though not as bad as at the hs level.

Sadly in my region our middle schools has a opioid problem. Yes middle school! My kids go to a smaller Parochial School with a pretty active parent association and sometimes too active parenting. However,  I find myself fortunate that the biggest issue is vaping experimentation.

Fortunately in our area the opioid problem has not reached down into the middle schools.  The HS's are affected, but not as bad as some areas, but its hitting the recent HS graduates/college kids pretty hard.

joes87 posted:

2022NYC posted:

joes87 posted:

Iowamom23 posted:

2022NYC posted:

Luckily my 13 yo does not have to deal with this yet. The latest school controversy is vaping.

Don't be too confident on that. We have far too many kids in grades 6-8 who already are using alcohol and drugs. I'm shocked, but apparently it happens more than I would have believed.

concur. my wife is a middle school principal in an affluent suburb.  happens at that level these days.  though not as bad as at the hs level.

Sadly in my region our middle schools has a opioid problem. Yes middle school! My kids go to a smaller Parochial School with a pretty active parent association and sometimes too active parenting. However,  I find myself fortunate that the biggest issue is vaping experimentation.

Fortunately in our area the opioid problem has not reached down into the middle schools.  The HS's are affected, but not as bad as some areas, but its hitting the recent HS graduates/college kids pretty hard.

i'm hearing our HS now has an issue with coke. Pretty sure I can name the kids who can afford that. Worried about my son in college, more worried about him staying in HS.