kids & drugs

[NightAngel]

Last summer (08) trouble began when Seaside became the "in' place for young teens to hang out. SUVs full of youngsters would pull up at dusk and offload and the parents would drive away. It became a security nightmare.
It still is. If those parents knew that there was no security on the beach after 9 PM they might think differently about letting their kids loose. They assume someone else is watching out after their kids and they are wrong. When things go really wrong the Walton Co sherriff comes out. Keep your kids off the beach after dark.

Ok, where do you suggest the kids go around here to just hangout? Because that is what teens do, they hang out and there is no "designated" place for them. Now you suggest that they do not go to the beach after dark? Is this spoken by a person with no teenagers?

 

[Rudyjohn]

Ok, where do you suggest the kids go around here to just hangout? Because that is what teens do, they hang out and there is no "designated" place for them. Now you suggest that they do not go to the beach after dark? Is this spoken by a person with no teenagers?

hmmm, maybe in someone's home? We have nowhere in my area designated for teens to hangout either but most hangout at various homes throughout the evening.

I was a teenager 35 years ago hanging out on the beach at night and even then, there were all sorts of illegal activities happening on the beach. Why would it be any different today?

 

[Imatrucountrygirl]

I agree. I am not oblivious, I have 4 kids, 3 boys and a girl ages 25, 20, 17 and 15 and the picture of drug pushers in seaside trying to get kids to buy drugs is ridiculous. Seaside is what it is and the problem with South Walton, and always has been, is there is nothing for the teens to do and nowhere they can call their own to hang out and if more than 3 of them congregate somewhere, they get accused of of starting something or smoking pot or causing trouble in some way so I see no need to start this trash talking about them pushing drugs on kids at Seaside, it is ludicrous. It just so happens that Seaside is one of the only places that lets the kids hang out and be together and go to the beach and such and I don't recall any incident ever since Seaside has been there of teens getting into trouble for drugs at Seaside.

I am in awe.. as I drove yesterday to Luverne, Al.. to meet my sister.. I noticed in Luverne, they had a skating rink and a bowling alley.. right across the street from each other.(this is Little Luverne, AL) . as I drove home. I was thinking about starting a post for the Walton County Kids.. /Teenagers and Some Adults to have something to do without going "out of town".. and then I found this thread.. As some of you know.. I live in Nowal.. and drugs are rampid.. Everywhere... you don't have to see them.. they are here and there... but I am not trying to start anything here.. my post (the one I was thinking of posting, before I found this) was to mention that with all the kids.. There needs to be something for them to do... and if you watch TV.. you will also know, that if they have a bowling alley or skating rink. etc....., they will leave and go to the parking lots.. but it does give some of the kids an option besides the parking lots, beaches.. etc.....Raising Kids these days is hard enough. I am only thankful that my son is grown and married now.. I wouldn't want to start over again.. with the way things are going... Although I will make one more statement.. I "personally" think the drug problems in America.. not just Nowal, Sowal.. etc.... will become bigger problems before it gets better, and my reasoning is.. because of the economy... people are losing their homes, jobs and life.. these people are hungry and will take whatever means that they have to take to survive.... just a thought....God Bless Us All......;-)

 

[Beanstalk]

Ok, where do you suggest the kids go around here to just hangout? Because that is what teens do, they hang out and there is no "designated" place for them. Now you suggest that they do not go to the beach after dark? Is this spoken by a person with no teenagers?

Drugs and trouble are always around where the rules are lax and parents think their children are old enough to be responsible for themselves unsupervised. I will spare you my full feelings on this. Bottom line. Kids need to be in their HOMES with their parents after hours. At dating age (Wonder what that is now) back when my children were at home was 16. They had to be in by 8pm on school nights and 10pm on weekends. Where I grew up the TV station use to say at 11pm, do you know where your children are? What happened to all that money that parents paid out for the computers and Xbox games? 200 channels of TV. Plenty to do at home. Out on any street after dark is just asking to get that phone call. Just my opinion. Parents are responsible for YOUR children. The 3 D's are out there for them. Drinking, Drugs and DEATH.

Jack

 

[NightAngel]

Drugs and trouble are always around where the rules are lax and parents think their children are old enough to be responsible for themselves unsupervised. I will spare you my full feelings on this. Bottom line. Kids need to be in their HOMES with their parents after hours. At dating age (Wonder what that is now) back when my children were at home was 16. They had to be in by 8pm on school nights and 10pm on weekends. Where I grew up the TV station use to say at 11pm, do you know where your children are? What happened to all that money that parents paid out for the computers and Xbox games? 200 channels of TV. Plenty to do at home. Out on any street after dark is just asking to get that phone call. Just my opinion. Parents are responsible for YOUR children. The 3 D's are out there for them. Drinking, Drugs and DEATH.

Jack

I think you are missing the point. My kids are at home all the time but sometimes it would be nice for them to be able to go somewhere and hangout and get out from in front of the computer and game consoles. My son is 17 and very responsible and does very well in school and I will be damned if I will have someone else tell me how to raise him and tell me when he needs to be home. You sir, need to keep your opinions on how people raise their children to yourself.

 

[Beanstalk]

I think you are missing the point. My kids are at home all the time but sometimes it would be nice for them to be able to go somewhere and hangout and get out from in front of the computer and game consoles. My son is 17 and very responsible and does very well in school and I will be damned if I will have someone else tell me how to raise him and tell me when he needs to be home. You sir, need to keep your opinions on how people raise their children to yourself.

Thanks for your opinion on what I should do. I have no personal knowledge of how you raise your son so please do not think I would direct that as a DIRECT opinion of your family. I missed NO point; I know the point very well. I only wish the best for your son and yourself. I guess the memory of burying my nephew last year is still fresh on my mind. 16 years old 2.75 student found dead behind a dumpster bullet behind his left ear, never known to do drugs, was just hanging out with his "Friends". Sorry if I intruded.

Jack

 

[Smiling JOe]

skating rinks and bowling alleys -- The two places in my home town where all of the stoned and drunk kids went. Be careful for what you ask.

Someone else already mentioned it, but it was passed over quickly, apparently -- parents need to be parents and talk to their kids. Kids will be kids and most will still try things. According to national averages, most will smoke pot at some point in their life. Having bowling alleys, skating rinks, etc won't stop kids from doing what kids do. However, talking to your kids about the choices they will face in life will help your child think for himself. If you are going to include drugs in your talk, you better know what the heck you are talking about because chances are, the kid may know more than you, from listening to his or her friends. At least get versed in all aspects of drugs, not just the bad stuff, but you better know why kids are doing drugs -- they certainly don't do drugs for the bad reasons, which means the good reasons must be really good, even if short-lived.

Be parents.

I grew up in the country without skating rinks, bowling alleys, beach, people, but that didn't make my childhood worse. I just did other kid things, like explore, create, build, use my imagination etc. The truth is, kids don't need "things." The need leaders, guidance, friends, and family. The kid stuff just happens naturally. I know many parents on SoWal from whom I have learned much of what I'm writing. I guess most are just too busy parenting to chime in.

 

[beachmouse]

If you look at binge drinking and illegal drug use rates, they tend to be significantly higher among rural kids than they are among suburban kids and also higher than inner city teen drug use. "Use your imagination to have fun" typically turns into parties down at the lake or in the clearing in the woods where beer flows way too freely.

The skating rinks, bowling alleys, and movie theaters aren't going to stop 100% of the problems, but they're a significantly more supervised location than the party in the woods.

 

[Susan Horn]

Devil's advocate here. What if more adults began modeling different behaviors for children to copy, such as sobriety and partaking of wholesome activities and entertainments? Would that help?

I ask this with full awareness that images glorifying drinking, drugs and all sorts of other things we'd rather our precious babies not do, are widely distributed throughout all media and very hard to shelter our kids from. I know, I tried for a long time with only limited success.

 

[Rudyjohn]

If you look at binge drinking and illegal drug use rates, they tend to be significantly higher among rural kids than they are among suburban kids and also higher than inner city teen drug use. "Use your imagination to have fun" typically turns into parties down at the lake or in the clearing in the woods where beer flows way too freely.

The skating rinks, bowling alleys, and movie theaters aren't going to stop 100% of the problems, but they're a significantly more supervised location than the party in the woods.

I so agree. I would never have wanted to raise a kid in a rural area similar to where I grew up. As teens we used to drive our cars to someone's pasture and partied all night long. I guess that falls under the "exploring" that kids could do. BTW, I don't think kids past the age of 12 do many kid things, like explore, create, build. But I'm only speaking for myself and when my kid was still living at home.

Devil's advocate here. What if more adults began modeling different behaviors for children to copy, such as sobriety and partaking of wholesome activities and entertainments? Would that help?

I ask this with full awareness that images glorifying drinking, drugs and all sorts of other things we'd rather our precious babies not do, are widely distributed throughout all media and very hard to shelter our kids from. I know, I tried for a long time with only limited success.

I agree. We've followed this rule (some would call it a "sacrifice") for 19 years. Time will tell if we were successful or not. We can only hope. So far so good.