Parenting a teenager is not easy. There are so many things we as parents need to figure out and navigate and monitor and discuss. Are they having sex? Are they doing drugs? Are they skipping school? Are they making good choices? Somehow, we have to figure out how to help guide them and keep them … [Read more...]
One-on-one with a Parent Who Has Experienced the Opioid Epidemic Firsthand
It was 2012 when Tyla Savard realized her daughter, Carrissa, had a serious substance use disorder. Carrissa was struggling with fentanyl - something Savard didn’t even know how to spell, to try to find information on the Internet. “It didn’t matter” she said. “There was no information.” Carrissa … [Read more...]
ADHD Medication Didn’t Make My Son A Zombie—It Gave Him Back To Us
I thought I had seen some dumb things on the internet. I am a regular surfer and seem to be sucked into vortexes of idiocy on a regular basis. But then I came across Nicole Arbour’s video and realized I have only just scratched the surface. I will spare you from watching the painful video, and … [Read more...]
How To Make Your Teen The Safest Driver On The Road
My older son just turned 16 and all he wants to do is get behind the wheel. And while he might be ready for it, I certainly am not. I half jokingly remind him that driving a car is not like playing Forza on his Xbox as I internally cringe at the idea of him behind the wheel. Don't get me wrong, I am … [Read more...]
Drug Addicts Are Definitely Not Spiking Your Kids Candy This Halloween
We’re always hearing that things were much safer, back in the day. Tales of yesteryear would have us believe that doors were always open, children were free to roam the streets in safety, and the world was virtually empty of the sort of degenerates that seem to abound in the headlines today. Oh … [Read more...]
Just say no. Because I’ll pay you.
Cam came home from school last week and asked me the following question: "When I turn 18, how much will you pay me if I don't do drugs or alcohol?" My response was a swift "I will pay you nothing. That's the dumbest thing I've heard. You want me to pay you for not doing stuff your NOT supposed … [Read more...]
Amy Just Said No, No, No….
Rachel over at Cocktails and Curtain Calls touched on a very big question that I've been thinking about all weekend...Why do we care about Amy Winehouse giving in to her demons more than we seem to care about the 90 teenagers who didn't ask to die in Norway on Friday? To say I'm shocked at the media … [Read more...]
Chace Crawford might do 6 months in jail. But, I mean, we all know better, right?
There really is no question that when it comes to celebrities, it's who you know. Because, it seems, that people like Linsday Lohan and Chris Brown and Mischa Barton know the right people, and people like Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford do not.It seems the folks down in Plano, Texas take their crimes … [Read more...]
Signs, Symptoms and Risks of Drug Use in Teens—and How to Get Help
It sounds so dramatic—opioid crisis. The reality is that deaths due to drugs being laced with extremely dangerous substances are on the rise. The biggest culprit is fentanyl, a drug you can’t see or smell, and that, even just trace amounts, can cause death. Teens dabbling with drugs is nothing … [Read more...]
Tuesday Tease
what you want to see. right this very second.the deets on Tatum O'Neal... in 2004, the Oscar-winning 44-year-old actress, wrote herself a memoir chronicling her recovery from drug addiction, and now, she was busted for buying crack. initially, she told the police she was researching a role, but then … [Read more...]