Kids and the World Around Us

Did you ever just want to wrap your kids in a shroud of bubble wrap to keep them safe forever? I do, every day. I love getting my magazines in the mail, I get to sit and read something other than a children's book or a bill that needs to be paid. Today, I took a few minutes to look through a magazine, Family Circle, and discovered that there is a whole world out there that I neither understand or subscribe to, a world that many pre teens and teens are involved with. My oldest is 13, and after reading this article, I was frightened, scared out of my wits and just plain terrified. The article was about a new and growing trend in the teen world. It is a "game" called choking. And as hideous as it sounds, it is real, out there and teens are doing it. They are of the mindset that if it isn't illegal, drug wise, or felony wise, it is ok to do. The kids will either by themselves or with the help of a friend, choke almost the life out of themselves, until they pass out, and when the awaken, they get a headrush that is comprable to a "high" given through an illicit drug. The problem is, some of these children don't wake up, they die, or are dammaged as a result of these games. This was only the tip of the iceberg in relation to the article, the author talked about risk taking teens, not because they don't think that they want to live or that they want to get injured, but because they need the rush, but need to know that what they are doing is not illegal. Our "say no to drugs" campaigns are working, but now the kids are finding new and more creative ways to get high. I mean what is wrong with us as a society that we don't know this is going on? I was so frightened that I sat here crying trying to figure out how to ask and tell my son about the idiocy of all of this. I did sit down briefly with him, I asked him questions, I didn't ask for specific names or whens whys etc. But as it turns out he was as surprised as I was that this is going on, and I hope that I scared the poopy out of him! I try to have frank discussions with my son, who does usually have a great head on his shoulders, but needs to be told that we as adults are aware of this and that it isn't allowed in our home, that it isn't a smart way to spend time. We talk about drugs, sex, and the like. We hope tha twhat and how we say the things that we say help him through these hard years. It is our hope tha the grows to be a decent, safe human being. He is a decent kid, and he knows that, as do his friends. Hopefully we are doing "right," and continue to do so.