Brownwood: Moms, Dads and Drugs: Talk to your kids for all our sakes
Moms, Dads and Drugs: Talk to your kids for all our sakes
10:01 PM CST on Wednesday, February 23, 2005
When the president of the United States more or less implicitly admits that, when young and foolish, he dabbled in the demon weed, it's not surprising that a growing number of parents seem to be losing their voices when it comes to warning their kids against the dangers of drugs.
Having grown up at the height of the drug culture themselves, many of them probably aren't eager to face the question: "Oh, yeah, well what did – or didn't – you do in high school, Dad?"
And frankly, we can't tell the guilty parent how to answer, because the best answer may depend not only on the facts of the matter but also on the relationship and the kid. In some cases, a forthright admission may foster trust; in others, a deft evasion may be best.
But, for all our sakes, have the conversation. Don't avoid it for fear of uncomfortable moments or from the mistaken belief that drug use is a negligible risk. Yes, many of today's adults survived their fits of youthful experimentation. Their children may or may not be so lucky.
Parents who dismiss the dangers – and 8 percent recently told pollsters that they consider regular cocaine use to pose "slight or no risk" – should rent the movie Traffic. Or, if they live here in North Texas, they should refer to this week's news stories about the Zetas, a drug cartel spawned from rogue elements of the Mexican military that is credited with three slayings thus far in Dallas.
That's what we're supporting if we turn a blind eye while our children take drugs. That's the kind of society we're building for them. Think about it.
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February 21, 2005
Bush smoked out by Wead
President Bush can't seem to escape his past. As he was leaving for Europe new audio tapes were released with the President discussing his past drug use. Douglas Wead, a longtime Bush family friend, secretly recorded the conversations with George Bush as he was gearing up to run for President.
Our extended entry contains the transcripts of the tapes heard on ABC news.
And send us your thoughts on this subject, do you think the President was right to lie about his past to protect children from following his example?
Email us.
GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, Doug, but it's not -- it doesn't matter,
cocaine. It'd be the same with marijuana. I wouldn't answer the
marijuana question. You know why? Because I don't want some little
kid doing what I tried.
DOUGLAS WEAD: Yes, and it never stops, of course.
BUSH: But you got to understand, I want to be president. I want
to lead. I want to set -- Do you want your little kid say, Hey,
Daddy, President Bush tried marijuana, I think I will?
BUSH: Al Gore -- (as Gore) I tried it. It wasn't a part of my
life. He doesn't give a damn, you know.
WEAD: You promised you would not appoint gays to office.
BUSH: No. What I said was, I wouldn't fire gays. I'm not going
to discriminate against people.
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