Education, awareness, tax dollars, trained drug dogs even coming into the schools are wonderful in my book. However, no matter how hard we try there will never be an end. You can try to empower and pump up every parent in a room and try to change them and you will empower half, anger the controlling parent and not even move the parent who is not willing to step up to the plate for they might not be all that worried because at that very moment they might be half baked.

In my brief synopse, it all went down fast. My daughter in 7th grade started cutting, then the drugs at school and found out later, she drank her dad’s alcohol. I did not accept this behavior at all, but did not punish her I helped her. I checked her into a local short term treatment (less than 72 hours), and stood beside her with love, support and I mainly listened. In that short time, I discovered that since the age of 5, she was being abused by her father. He was booted immediately, for my other 2 children came out in months to follow. Surgeon, high profile, not even a slap on the hand.

I became pro-active for a bit to help the schools against drugs. My daughter would not narc for she was afraid for her sister. This school even got an award for a drug- free environment. I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but what a joke. I would pull up in my car to pick up my kid, (jr. high) and I would see a group of boys form a circle and deliver a deal. I even witnessed one boy stick a Coke packet in his cheek. Trust me, when you are M.A.D.D. you do research on drugs.

The funny thing was, I would talk to kids and they would tell me that while the officers would perform their locker searches with the trained dogs, for drugs; these kids would be in the classrooms with the drugs on them. They also hid the drugs across the street in clever places like, uh, a flower pot. If those homeowners only knew how much money they had hidden on their property.

My daughter cleaned up after a school dance and found a Visine shaped bottle minus the label. There were some drops left. She knew what it was. So we marched back inside and gave it to one of the five police officers at the dance. He said that he would have it investigated. Nothing.

I sort of gave up after my daughter was threatened by a girl from a drug related gang for I finally became worried for her safety. A few years later, it was interesting to talk to some of these teens who were safely away from the school. The art teacher would dissappear in a back room only to find a pro-active student who tried to bust her for smoking pot. The vice principal that I would touch base with, that I actually wondered about, would never bust the pot-heads for that is where he got his supply. Off the subject, but the counselor who never reported my daughters suicidal ideations, not only creeped my daughter out but promoted 73 jr. high girls to sign a petition/complaint about him looking down their shirts and weird behaviors. Nothing gets done. My favorite counselor ended up quitting years later for what goes on behind closed doors.

Twisted people in every profession, I was married to one. I ended up telling my daughter who had attempted suicide and survived 2 treatment centers, that if my dad did all of that to me I may have done exactly what she had chosen. For feeling like the bad girl all of those years, she then felt ok. She so far is doing well, and is loving college. She takes one day at a time. My other two are doing great. Drug free.

I just feel that their is no sure fire answer here. I just listen to these kids, give them the facts, and all I have learned to rely on is my personal preference; my silent prayers. Good Luck!