Alice and I continue to help our teen son, Ed, through his recovery. He still has that “drug mind”, as I have come to call it, but is building up clean time and collecting key tags from his NA meeting.
One thing that helps us to help Ed is technology. However, I want to say right up front: technology is not going to save your teen, or in some cases even make a difference.
Do not use technology to become more co-dependent with your teen’s problem, either. But instead, think of technology as a tool, like a fork or hammer, which can sometimes help you. (Getting food to your mouth or hitting your thumb so hard it turns purple are both good examples of tools helping us?)
Why am I even writing about tools and technology?
We all know that cell phones for most of our teens are just drug deal paraphernalia. Teens can easily use technology to enable their addictions or as a tool of bad behavior, and use it better than we can. On the surface, it would seem that technology is a losing game and we should shun it.
However, it is, once again, not our fault.
Consider this:
- Your teen has never lived in a time when cell phones were not everywhere. Your teen has never lived in a time when the Internet did not exist.
- Your teen has never lived in a time when banking and financial transactions were not performed “on line”, instead of waiting “in line” at the bank.
- Your teen has never lived in a time when multiple layers of communication satellites didn’t circle the earth for commercial and retail user purposes.
In short, your teen knows today’s technology because she has always lived with it. So, let’s explore a few technologies that we can use to help us or help our teens!
BANKING
I have written before about Ed’s restriction against carrying cash.
His contract says that he is not allowed to carry ANY cash.
Some other parents and PO’s have cash amount restrictions in their contracts too. Such as, “may not carry more than $20 cash” can be found in the sample contract on this site.
It’s based upon the principle that drug dealers still want cash or merchandise for drug purchases.
It’s a false sense of security, but is a retardant for the easy drug deal issue – “the guy was just there and I gave him $20 and he gave me this baggie; honest dad”.
Alice and I also restrict ourselves from holding or keeping in the house any significant cash. But, Ed is a micro entrepreneur, running his own business. How can we restrict his cash to $0?
Technology has come to our aid. Ed has a credit card that we fund and control. Any cash from his business is turned over to us, and any purchases Ed wants to make for personal use or business are put on the credit card.
Today’s technology is also helping us. A credit card is accepted in millions of locations today: McDonald’s and every other fast food store, Sheetz (all gas stations and convenience stores), Home Depot and hardware stores, movie theaters, arcades, game stores, movie rental stations, XBOX live, restaurants, grocery stores, vending machines, and many other places that Ed likes to visit.
We can see every purchase amount, store, and location. We can put a hold on the card or only fund it with as much money as Ed needs, also. It is working well.
Ed doesn’t like the restrictions and having to ask for his own money. We do have to initiate transfers and controls. But, Ed does not have to worry about carrying any cash. And Alice and I feel better about Ed not being tempted by cash in his pocket.
I can even fund his card from a smart cell phone or the Internet when he frequently runs out of money.
There are a few small caveats still with this technology.
First, some companies charge expensive fees to use or reload credit cards. Stay away from these.
Also, having a credit card makes it just a pinch easier for Ed to “social engineer” the retail staff into thinking he is an adult.
But if your teen is like Ed, he is already really smart at both “socially engineering” people and business. It just may not be manipulating the parents and selling drugs anymore for Ed. So, we let that slide.
I only know about two banks that are really good at teen credit cards, so I will only mention those two. There are probably others out there.
One of these two has recently won awards for its customer service, so I stopped looking when we found a winner. If you know an institution or retailer, please add to this article. If you are a bank or organization and want the PSST parents to test your card on our tough teens, also help us to help you, by recommending your card.
It is worth repeating: Stay away from cards that have fees!
There are many of those kinds of cards out there, but that is not what you want. Both of these sources are reliable banking institutions, are free, and specialize in teen cards.
Both of these also allow the parents to turn off the ATM/cash feature of the cards.
USAA Federal Savings Bank youth prepaid card at https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/youth_prepaid_spending_card_main
Wachovia student banking Visa Buxx card at https://www.visaprepaidprocessing.com/Wachovia/VisaBuxx/Pages/Home.aspx
CELL PHONES
As mentioned above, if you read this web site or come to PSST meetings, you know that almost every parent has discovered that their teen’s cell phone is a D-D-D: Drug Deal Device.
Teen addicts use them to make deals, learn to talk in code, and use them to hide their location and activities from their parents.
Again, natural parenting says, “Danger! Danger!” But, this piece of technology has also weaved it's way into our lives. We “need” these devices to communicate with the family or arrange family schedules or, in Ed’s case, receive business calls!
Not to fear. I have learned from my friends at PSST some valuable technology tips. And we now welcome Ed to use our/the business's cell phone. We even pay for the non-business calls.
What technology is helping us to help Ed? Two important things:
First, Ed’s phone is fixed (no, not like the dog that can’t have puppies). Well, maybe a little like that. He can’t call or text anyone that we don’t put into the phone’s “fixed dialing”, OK-to-call list. This frustrates Ed sometimes, even legitimately when he can’t return a call to a business prospect.
But that is too bad.
We will add any legitimate number to his callable list whenever he asks. And that way, we always know who he can call on the device.
Some wireless companies provide this and some do not. Several pay-as-you-go services do. But most importantly, it is often not documented. You may have to call your phone’s customer service to find out or activate it.
It is often called “fixed dialing.”
Second, if you know of, or suspect dangerous activity on your teen’s cell phone, report it lost or stolen.
The wireless telephone company will suspend all activity on the phone, making it worthless to your teen and the drug dealers, until you call and report it “found” again.
This is a WIN all the way around, if you ask me. You can ground the phone with one quick call. With some providers, you can do this by making a simple call from your own cell phone or on the provider’s web site.
More family-friendly or parent-friendly features are coming from some wireless companies, as younger and younger children are getting cell phones.
Uploaded pictures, phone call records and the like are available on most major wireless companies’ customer web sites.
One feature that I have not been able to find anywhere, and may only exists for the wireless carriers or law enforcement: copies of text messages.
If anyone knows how to get these routinely on-line without needing to look at a cell phone that may have been erased, please reply to this article.
Still, expect more technology to come with cell phones, including pocket computers in the phone.
Of course, some of the new technology is not going to benefit us, but rather the teen addict or drug dealers. So, be sure to look for ways to turn off features that are dangerous or avoid phones or features that are unhealthy for your teen.
As always, reserve the right to have the phone stored in a known place in your house, check the call logs and texts, prohibit private calls, prohibit the erasing of texts or logs, and ground the phone, if needed.
Remember, it’s your phone. And, “No, you cannot buy your own phone while living in my house, either.” is OK to say, if you need to.
It’s your house and your rules.
TRACKING DEVICES
This technology may seem to be a bit far out for some parents, like the hover craft or jet rocket backpack in the 1960’s.
However, let me tell you that I can find the truck that Ed uses for his business any time of the day, including latitude, longitude, speed if moving, and street address while I’m on the Internet, or check the electronic bread crumbs that it left for the last day or week.
What’s more, Ed knows this and helped install the device that does this. And it costs me less than a cell phone bill.
Obviously, the price of personal, cell phone assisted GPS tracking devices has become reasonable as more people start to use them to safeguard their cars, trucks, personal items, pets, and, yes, hunting dogs, all the while basic cell phone technology keeps dropping in price.
What is this thing?
It’s a device smaller than a pack of cigarettes containing a GPS (global positioning system) which knows its exact location and speed at all times.
It also has a cell phone text message system. When asked by a central computer, the device texts its information and the computer stores it for the owner to query.
If the device’s battery is unplugged or powered off, the device sends its information and alert status.
All the rest is just pretty maps, location and power alerts sent to my cell phone, and logs of the bread crumbs.
These devices won’t be right for everyone, and never use them to become more co-dependant upon your teen’s problems.
But for Ed, I described it as an additional “trust” mechanism. He has the freedom to go any place that he tells us (and any other place, but I don’t remind him of that). If he says he is at certain place, the tracking device can verify it for him.
Of course, I am reminded of when President Reagan said, “Trust but verify.”
There are a number of companies selling these types of devices.
Of the two big names, you will need to skip LoJack. LoJack does not support coverage in Allegheny County.
The other big name is Zoom-bak, and has good coverage in Western Pennsylvania.
Look for sales or heavily discounted devices from retail outlets instead of purchasing on the web site.
Devices retail for $100, but I have seen them discounted to $50.
The service plan is around $13 per month. The Zoom-bak web site is www.zoombak.com .
A company called Live View GPS also makes these devices and has reasonable service plans around $20 per month. Their devices, however, are around $250 to $400. Their web site is www.liveviewgps.com/ .
There are other vendors in this market, and I want to make the same offer as above: If you have experience with these, please add to this article.
If you are a vendor and want PSST parents to test your device with REAL teens, bring it on.
Finally, a section on tracking devices shouldn’t go without a mention of cell phones.
All modern cell phones have a cell site positioning system in them.
Yes, your teen’s cell phone knows where it is even if you don’t know where your teen is or he doesn’t remember where he left it.
Some bigger cell phone providers have picked up on this and have family or phone location services. These services are usually $5 to $15 per month per family or phone, and provide very good location services.
Sprint and Verizon both offer this service, and maybe others.
One caveat with these services is that most teens know about cell phone location and either disable the phone’s location service (which can usually be disabled for all but 911 calls) or forward their phone and leave it in a safe location to circumvent truly nefarious activity location. This service may still be helpful to some parents and can be a less expensive alternative.
I hope you have enjoyed this technology side track.
It isn’t your fault that your teen knows more about this technology than you do, NEVER-THE-LESS, you can use it too, when you need it.
Do you remember vinyl records and tapes? Your teen probably doesn’t. But they were once cool, new technology, too.
Share
Technology and Your Teen by Ralph Kramden
Posted by:Sally--Monday, May 23, 2011
Town Meeting at Ambridge High School ~ Post provided by Wilma
Posted by:Sally--Sunday, May 22, 2011
I live in Allegheny County but tonight I attended a program entitled "Drug and Narcotic Identification Evening" which was held at Ambridge Area High School ( I was invited by a friend). It was sponsored by the Beaver County District Attorney's Office and The Beaver County Anti-Drug Task Force. The Drug Alliance
http://www.drug-alliance.org/ was also there and a representative from Gateway Rehab.
The meeting was very informative.
We got to see actual drugs and paraphernalia. For some parents in the audience this was all very new to them including the lingo. I mentioned my favorite resource, urban dictionary.com.
One parent commented that she wouldn't even know what weed smelled like. (I felt like a veteran). Seeing how common things we have in our homes can be used to manufacture drugs or be used as other kinds of drug paraphernalia was very scary but also helpful so that parents would know if items are missing or even finding things they know they hadn't purchased as red flags that there is a problem.
The officer talked about the effects of drug and alcohol on the developing brains of our teens as well as what they will do to get the next fix. One thing I hadn't thought of was how diseases such as HIV can be spread not just from sharing needles but passing around a joint with who knows how many people and sharing saliva. I'm sure our teens don't think of sharing a joint as risky behavior.
A mother who lost a son to a heroin overdose and the aunt of girl who died from taking ecstasy also spoke. Their stories were very sobering.
One thing a couple of the speakers spoke to, though, was the fact that there were so many empty seats in the auditorium (though it could have had something to do with the Pen's game) and how sad (might not be the word they used) it was that the people who know our kids the best (parents, grandparents, guardians ) weren't there learning things that could ultimately save a teen's life.
I just wanted to mention this meeting as I know we may have readers of the blog that may not live in Allegheny County to know that there are resources out there in surrounding communities that could help them on this roller coaster ride of their child's addiction.
Wilma
May 14 Wexford PSST Meeting Recap
Posted by:Max--Thursday, May 19, 2011
May 14 Wexford PSST Meeting Recap
We had a great PSST Meeting in Wexford. Today's meeting was led by PSST power couple Cheryl and Jim, assisted by Kathie T and Justin from Wesley Spectrum Services and by Val and Lloyd from the Probation Office.
We had a slightly smaller group (13 parents and 1 older brother) so we had a little more time to share.
Cheryl and Jim’s son Andy was asked to leave his ½ way house, due to some inappropriate behavior. He spent time in Shuman, then transferred to another ½ way house that caters to adults. Now that Andy is 18, being around adults seems to suit him very well; Cheryl and Jim are optimistic that some good changes can occur in this placement.
Cheryl and Jim, I appreciate the difficulty you have with Andy – his physical health, his mental health, and if that weren’t enough, drug use. I have never seen either of you be anything but strong and positive when speaking of Andy’s situation. We all can really learn from how the two of you deal with adversity. Thank you for being an important part of PSST.
Angela’s daughter Samantha had been doing well after discharge from her inpatient treatment. She was attending school there, as she was not ready to return to her regular high school, and was being monitored at home by her parents, following the home contract, and using the P.O. as back-up.
The other week, her dad went away for business and her mom was sick in bed. Samantha took this opportunity to hook up with some old friends and used.
She was immediately “outed” by Angela, taken to Shuman for 10 days, where she fared better than last time. This time, having accumulated more clean time, Samantha noticed more of the chaos she was surrounded by. She was scared, hiding under tables when fights broke out.
Angela and Tony hope this experience sticks with Samantha and acts as a deterrent. It was suggested that Samantha go to an inpatient facility for 6 – 9 months.
Angela and Tony were not ready for this – they wanted to try another way, so for now they are doing an intensive in–home therapeutic recovery program. Samantha works with staff daily in the home, as well as other related appointments her parents have to take her to. She is also under house arrest.
Despite all the restrictions, Samantha is not unhappy. Maybe she was “asking” for some limits to be enforced. Maybe she was testing. Whatever you call it, this was still a relapse, and Tony and Angela went into action immediately, using all their new PSST skills.
Angela, what you are doing isn’t easy. Many of us would welcome the break from the chaos an inpatient placement brings with it. You are to be commended. We are all very interested how the in-home treatment works.
Please keep us posted, or maybe write something for the blog, as this may be appropriate for other families.
Kitty’s son Carlyle “coined out” of his outpatient treatment. He actually thanked his mom for the help! He is doing well now.
Kitty was worried that older son Kat was going to leave his 1/2way house, but he changed his mind and decided to stay. Whew!
Since things are going well, Kitty kindly as always, offered her share of time for others to use.
Thanks again, Kitty. We hope this is always your biggest problem – not much to say!
Joan’s daughter Melissa is in an inpatient facility in Ohio at the moment. The road there was circuitous.
Melissa had been acting erratically, breaking into her mother’s home, stealing things like a “Wii” to sell, using Joan’s credit cards to purchase an iPod for a friend, stating on Facebook that she was engaged but not to tell her mother.
Joan told us that this has become a pattern for Melissa – she acts out for a while, later calms down, then asks her mother for help.
When that time came, Joan smartly suggested they meet at RESOLVE, a safe and neutral place where they could make some plans, as Melissa wasn’t living at home. Joan suggested the inpatient in Ohio, which Melissa accepted.
Joan also has papers ready to file charges, to get Melissa into the system so she can have the back up of probation.
Joan realizes Melissa gets some emotional thrill from hurting her, then coming back to her. Therefore, Joan is determined not to enable or reinforce this behavior by remaining detached, choosing not to visit or interact with her. She will support only recovery and mental health related activities.
All your friends at PSST appreciate how difficult it is not to interact with your kid. But Joan, you realize when you react to Melissa’s behavior as she expects you will, it doesn’t help her; it just continues the crazy cycle. Great job, Joan!
Max’s older son Michael continues to do well, working 2 jobs, planning to take his GED next week. He has been pleasant to live with, doing favors for Max.
Typical teen behavior, such as playing too loud music (filled with profanity, but what the f#@k) or not cleaning up after himself are the things that get Max and Mel fighting with him.
However, they are actually thrilled to be having arguments over NORMAL things! Michael is very clear on the fact that if he “screws up”, any consequence is his alone to deal with. This doesn’t mean if he “falls” somehow we won’t be upset. Of course we will. But we are no longer filled with constant anxiety and worry about him. It is his life, and if he makes choices to put his freedom at risk, it is his problem. Detachment Accomplished!
Violet’s son Sal is struggling. Out of school for 2 weeks, his drug tests are clean, but Vi became suspicious and searched – and found- “potpourri” in his pocket.
There were also indications he has been drinking. Sal is going through a tough time, as it is the 3rd anniversary of his father’s suicide.
Has Sal ever really worked through this trauma? Really dealt with all his emotions? Could he be self- medicating?
Violet will be bringing Sal to Shuman for a meeting with his PO, and a temporary stay there until they decide what inpatient facility would be best.
Now that Sal has been clean from heroin for a long while, his mental health needs are becoming more apparent. The mental health component of Sal’s’ continued treatment will be crucial for his recovery. As usual, Violet is front and center, committed to helping find the best program for him.
A side note: many of us fear we will miss signs if our child uses K2 or Spice, as these things do not show up on a standard drug test (at this time). The window for a positive alcohol screen is also very narrow. However, we can look and learn from Violet’s situation. It was Sal’s behavior that alerted her – she knows her kid, and when he had too much trouble getting out of bed; her antennae went up, and she searched his room.
Know your kid -pay attention to your child’s behavior and habits; this is a healthier alternative to hovering and constant worrying about what you have no control over. Their behavior will most likely give you what you need to initiate a room search, or just a conversation. PSSTers are no longer naive. We know “not my kid” is a fantasy we no longer take part in.
Daisy’s son Ozzie is doing much better in all areas except school.
He is able to handle disagreements without getting violent, which shows much progress. He attends school but doesn’t follow through with assignments, which is part of the rules of his school contract.
He will probably fail some classes and will have to attend summer school, or be transferred back to the AIU, where he would most likely finish out the year with no summer school needed.
Daisy is unsure what would be best, as she is getting conflicting advice. Some suggest that his” natural consequences” of failing and having to attend summer school is what would “teach him a lesson”.
But Daisy wonders “why go through that exercise, when Ozzie would finish up 10th grade and move on” at the AIU? Also, Ozzie doesn’t seem to fear summer school as a deterrent; rather, he sees it more of a social opportunity with easier classes.
Daisy worries that if she chooses the AIU, it may seem as though Ozzie gets the easy way out. Lloyd stepped in and said he sees school choice as a family decision; probation really shouldn’t be a part of that choice unless active drug and alcohol use or serious behavioral issues are part of the immediate problem.
And now a word from Max about “conflicting opinions” from our professional teams:
We all get them here and there, and it can be confusing and anxiety producing. PSST parents have been through the ringer, and because of this, we don’t always trust our guts with our kids – after all, we obviously didn’t really understand their problems until they were already in trouble - what makes us think we’ll “get it right” this time?
And that is the conundrum – the feeling that doing what’s best for our kid equals getting it RIGHT. The truth is there is never only one way to solve a problem.
Try to see differing opinions as a bonus. From these opinions, make a pro and con list for yourself and your kid. You won’t make an incorrect choice, because the ideas offered are professional opinions.
You must do what will work best with your particular family dynamic.
You are the one who knows your kid best, but you also know what you can commit to in terms of time, energy, and truly feeling comfortable with your decision. When you believe with your gut you are doing the right thing, you will have more dedication to follow-through.
Sally and Rocco’s son Cisco is doing really well at his ½ way house. He has been demonstrating that he knows when he needs help. He will say “I need to go to a meeting”. He is also showing a sense of maturity and obligation to others besides himself. He wanted to return to his program after a weekend home because he knows it “isn’t fair to the other guys who don’t get to go out”. He is starting Community College on Monday. We are thrilled to hear about Cisco’s progress, and are looking forward to the school report!!
Word of the Day” offered by Jim: “Anticippointment”- anticipating the disappointment that may occur if “the other shoe drops”. It is in the same realm as being “cautiously optimistic”, but with the PSST twist of humor. Thanks, Jim!
Wilma’s son Bam Bam is now in placement due to act 53. It was a harrowing and long day in court, as many of us at PSST are all too familiar with. Bam Bam didn’t really think he would actually be placed, even though the independent court evaluator suggested in over out-patient as a first step.
Wilma felt vindicated in all her efforts. Things were very tense in the waiting room. Wilma was concerned that Bam would run - especially when he demanded she buy him cigarettes. Wilma simply said no, retreated to separate corners to hunker down and wait.
Finally Bam Bam’s PD had a meeting with him, and told him he would be going in-patient. Bam was irate, and yelled obscenities at his mother, calling her a liar. The PD told Bam Bam if he voluntarily signed himself into his placement, they could pass on the hearing, which he accepted.
The Staff told Bam he would be there “2 weeks minimum”, but like all our kids, Bam Bam only heard the “2 weeks” portion. He is pretty convinced he will be home soon, and doesn’t understand there will be a hearing in 45 days.
Wilma has already received calls about Bam fighting, and all are worried Bam Bam is intentionally “FTA”-ing himself so he gets kicked out and goes home. However, Wilma as usual is one step ahead. She has evidence garnered from Facebook that will help her in efforts to bring up charges against her son, so he will have a P.O. and will be court ordered to a second placement if he FTA’s his current one.
Brad and Jenn brought Dylan’s older brother Mark to our meeting. They felt it was important for Dylan’s brother to have an opportunity to share if he wanted, and to better understand the difficult situation his parents and brother are in.
They all visited Dylan in his placement, bringing along birthday cards. Dylan was choked up by this and cried for the first time in a long while. He knows he will be in placement a long time, especially since he has already been in trouble there.
Dylan decided to end his meeting early by saying he wanted to go to Math class – a confusing reason to his parents, but it might actually be a good thing. Mark tried to explain to Dylan not to try to be like him, that, Dylan needs to be his own person.
Brad and Jenn always come to these meetings with smiles and hopeful attitudes, even when they must be feeling down. You two are an inspiration.
Advice wanted!
Angela brought up that Samantha’s older brother is very angry towards her – Angela wants family counseling to deal with this. Lloyd suggested that her brother may be feeling protective of his mom and his younger sister – which may stem from traditional gender issues. Angela is concerned that his comments are harmful to Samantha.
Lloyd’s point is that this confrontation from brother can be a good thing. “Nasty” comments like “I’m going out tonight with my friends – too bad you have to stay home” may be rubbing Samantha’s nose in it, and may make her feel the sting. But that is basically part of the consequence – sort of a reality check.
As long as brother isn’t abusive, it may be helpful for Samantha to hear. Otherwise, if it really stresses the family, Angela can get family support from their program.
Next: Role Play
Starring: Max as Daisy, Justin as Ozzie, and sitting in for Deb Cohen, Violet.
As said earlier, Ozzie wants an extended curfew, but is not meeting school expectations. Also, Daisy is unsure of the best way to proceed with finishing out the school year. She plans to discuss it at Gateway with Deb Cohen present as mediator, so we used this scenario for a practice run:
Daisy: Ozzie, I want to get back to you about your curfew.
Ozzie: So what about it?
Daisy: I got an email from Mrs. Smith telling me you are failing math.
Ozzie: That’s not true! I’ve done everything I’m supposed to! She probably didn’t enter all the recent grades. And anyways, what does that have to do with extending my curfew!
Daisy: I’ve received one too many emails lately telling me that you are not turning in your homework and you are still putting your head down during class.
Ozzie: I’m tired and it’s boring!
Daisy: Well, when you came to me to ask for an extended curfew, I said no because I am not comfortable with you being out and about longer than necessary. And, I need to see you behaving in a responsible manner at school, making responsible decisions there, in order for me to consider extending your curfew. When you disregard your school work, it is clear you are not behaving responsibly by not taking your school seriously. So I feel good about my earlier decision not to extend your curfew.
Ozzie: I don’t get it!! I am doing everything else right! I’m clean on my drug tests, I am attending Gateway and not missing, I am better with you at home, I’m not even having a tantrum!!
Daisy: Ozzie, you are right. Sometimes I forget to acknowledge enough all the good things you are doing. Thank you for pointing that out. You have made some important changes. Never the less, taking school seriously is a way of showing me you are taking responsibility. So I am going to give you one last chance to jump back on track and work very hard at your current school, even though you will probably still end up in summer school. The other choice would be to go back to the AIU to finish the year out.
Ozzie: WTF! I can’t go back there! I don’t care if I go to summer school or not!! Summer school fun! No one works anyway!
Daisy: That is my point, Oz – you don’t seem to care, so I would rather you be someplace where I believe you will have more success and more support to finish out this year. If you stay where you are, it will just be more of the same. I am not being a responsible parent by letting things go on as they are. However, if your choice is to stay, I will be comfortable with you continuing there if we have a detention hearing, and return to an ankle monitor and house arrest until the end of school
Ozzie: (with attitude) I don’t care. I’ll wear the ankle bracelet.
Daisy: (pretty sure after he thinks it through, he won’t really want to do it this way) Hmm...well, I guess I didn’t realize how important staying where you are is! I certainly wouldn’t do it this way, but it’s your choice and up to you. Would you repeat what I just said back to me so I know you understand what you agreed to?
What we tried to do – is help Ozzie make the choice, so he is more responsible for it. We also tried to connect earning the privilege of later curfew, with showing responsibility at school.
Good Point> Have your kid repeat back to you what he/she heard – yhis will help to clear up any miscommunication and misunderstandings during these talks. And finally, try not to LECTURE – get to the point.
And as one who lectures way too much – I am signing off.
Next week in Mount Lebanon!
REMEMBER PSST WORKS! THERE IS NO COST AND NO OBLIGATION! COME AND GIVE US A TRY! ALL YOU HAVE TO LOSE IS YOUR ANXIETY, ANGER AND CHAOS IN YOUR LIFE!
A Heroin Addict Tells Her Story
Posted by:Sally--Thursday, May 19, 2011
This story will give you some insight into what a heroin addict goes through in one day. It is an article from the Sunday, May 15th Post Gazette. Click here for the link to the Post Gazette article.
Second Arrest Made in Student's Killing
Posted by:Sally--Thursday, May 19, 2011
One of the mom's who attends PSST found this article in the May 11th Post Gazette. When ones child is using drugs this story hits home.
This is the story I mentioned at the meeting. It was so scary to me as my son was involved in a sketchy incident with his ipod and Xbox. He was threatened that if he told anybody they would come and shoot him and shoot up our house. We filed a police report mainly because of the threats. The police felt that it would be highly unlikely but when it comes to drugs and teens on drugs anything can happen. ~ Wilma ~ Click here for link to the Post Gazette article.
here
