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At-home drug testing is big business
Filed under: Teens, Day Care & Education
Parents are
increasingly using drug-testing labs and at home drug testing kits to make sure their teens aren't using drugs. Schools
are promoting the at-home testing, with some hanging banners and sending home brochures for TestMyTeen.com in school hallways. As such these internet businesses are booming. Parents feel empowered by being able to tell if their kids are putting themselves in danger and kids may have a "socially acceptable" reason to reject drugs. Some kids feel the tests humiliate and embarass them.
Seventeen-year-old Matt Muir's response in the article is the one which gives me pause. He admits to occasionally using marijuana but feels his mother's concerns are "overdrawn and exaggerated". He was humiliated when she tried to force him to urinate in a cup in front of her while facing a wall.
But, he says, parents who approve of marijuana use are "...not good people." His mother's in a bit of a pickle then it seems. Muir feels she should pretend not to know and "look the other way", still though she can't 'approve' of his drug use.
Oh parenting teenagers is going to be so much fun.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-28-2006 @ 10:42AM
Angelica said...I'll have to see what happens when I approach that stepping stone. With toddlers I don't feel as if this is a huge issue now...and I can also tell you that within the past six months I have probably smoked up...once. Really just once, I promise. SO...there we go, will that make me a hypocrite when it comes time to "give the talk" to my kids. Who knows? Will I have a hard time talking to them about it? Absolutely! Whether I have (or any parent) has done drugs in their life. Would I want to go the "PEE IN THAT CUP!" route? Probably not. It's humiliating and demeaning. If I want to know, I will ask right out and trust that I have taught my kids to trust and respect themselves and me enough to answer me truthfully. Now...how would I deal with the answer is another question. But like I said...a stepping stone that isn't really in the near future.
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3-28-2006 @ 10:54AM
Caitlin said...I think it will be interesting when my generation (Y) is old enough to have teenagers. I think I know maybe 10 people who didn't try drugs, abstained from sex til marriage, and waited until they were 18/21 to drink (the Louisiana liquor loophole was active when I was a teen). And none of them abstained from all three.
I think if parents stopped exagerrating the effects of using marijuana, it would help. I only know a couple of people who went on to harder drugs. The real danger with marijuana that I've seen is just that apathy that starts sinking in. I know quite a few people who became potheads in college and quit caring about classes. Eventually they flunked out of college. Driving while high can be dangerous, but so is driving anytime your judgement is impaired (alcohol, lack of sleep, or legal drugs).
I think regular testing just because your child hits their tweens or listens to "druggie" music would damage the relationship you have with your kid. However, if Paul gives us a "real" reason to suspect he might be using, he will be tested. As much as he may not like it being tested, it is our responsibility as his parents to do our best to ensure that he becomes a responsible adult. You can't be a responsible adult if you have a drug habit interfering with your life.
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3-28-2006 @ 11:16AM
abqchunk said...Having been married to a drug addict when I was young, I am terrified of my son developing the same habit. I think parents have the right to home test, but I also think that if you have a good grip on discipline and respect in your home from day one that you most likely won't have to deal with home-testing. I have worked very hard to teach my son not to lie and to be a "good man." Like Angelica said, I will have to trust in how I raised him and that we have a mutual respect. Teenage years are going to be very trying and I think we shouldn't stick our heads in the sand and hope issues like this go away. Deal with them head on, honestly, and consistently. Don't be afraid to say NO! We owe it to our kids to be strong and give guidance. I've got about 3yrs. to go, so I will keep you posted!
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