Tuesday, June 7, 2016

A Simple Note about Growing up in the World

This morning on the short drive to drop Allyson off at school, she asks "What are drugs?"   She caught me off guard as I was paying attention to traffic.  Roads wet from the passing of Tropical Storm Colin and here is my 7 year old asking, "What are drugs?"

Whoever said parenting gets easier as they get older was in denial.  Its not easier or harder, the struggles are just different.   I am a firm believer in telling your child the truth at all times, so explaining exactly what she needed to know was the only answer I could give her.  We've gone through the loss of a few family members.  We've gone through the ugly in the world... things such as terrorism and gorillas being shot simply because a child put itself in danger.  She has seen the ugly.  I can't start hiding it from her now.  She deserves to know, even if it hurts a little.

I gave Ally as much information as I could.   I mentioned cocaine, methamphetamine, and described pills as a whole.   Drugs can be a medicine that someone's body needs to function, but drugs can also kill you.   Drugs can come in forms of anything, even candy looking pieces.   We talked about how she should never accept candy from anyone at school that isn't a teacher.  However those few minutes just weren't enough.  

When is the education of what not to do in the world, this ugly world enough?   She is seven.  Seven years old isn't an age that she should have to worry about things like drugs.  I just hope she was able to set our conversation aside and have a great day at school with her friends.  My little girl is almost a 2nd grader and has so many questions about the world.  Its time for her to enjoy the small things in the world like lollipops and seeing a ladybug land on a leaf.  

1 comment:

  1. Ugh, I dread those conversations. Mine starts kindergarten this year and she is already too smart for her own good. We just had the gorilla conversation and she was very upset about him being killed. And we had to have one a little while ago about inappropriate touching. (She likes to hold hands and hug other kids)

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