Storms

My husband and I went out on Saturday night leaving oldest son at home alone. Instructions were given to “don’t go anywhere; don’t have anyone over.” Well, the next morning, my husband and I discover that both of those rules were broken. Oldest son not only went out and met a few friends, he also invited them back to the house for about an hour. How did we discover this fact? Several smaller electronic items were missing from our house. So one or more of these kids helped themselves to two iPods and a digital camera [to name a few of the items stolen].
I called the police and filed a report. The constable that was here filled me in on the fact that one of these kids is a suspected drug dealer [dealing marijuana, cocaine, crystal meth] and chances are very good that our items are long gone in that chain of criminal activity.
You can all imagine my emotional state. Not only was I dealing with a theft, but also the sick realization that my son had associations with a drug dealer and I was completely oblivious to that fact.
I started thinking that if I didn’t know this kid was a dealer, perhaps other parents didn’t know as well. So I got on the phone and called the parents of every teenager I knew and told them what had happened to us and what I had learned about one of the kids.
I am angry, still. I’m also concerned about my oldest son. His girlfriend broke up with him a month ago [he was VERY attached to her – she’s a nice girl], he had been living with his father but that household was given an eviction notice and very abruptly [in a matter of days] he had to move everything out of there and back into my home [everyone had to move out of that residence], and now this situation happened where my son realizes that one or more of who he thought were his “friends” has screwed him over without a second thought. So oldest is feeling *betrayed* by the world at large. He’s spent the last few days holed up in his room and not wanting to talk to anyone [he doesn’t want anyone to call him on the phone nor does he want to see anyone face to face]. He doesn’t want to leave the house. Consequences can be a bitch of a teacher.
So if you’re a parent of an older child, talk to them. Find out not only who their friends are, but who the friends are friends with [this drug dealer isn’t directly a friend of my son, he’s a friend of a friend]. Network with other parents in your community. Many parents I spoke to had no idea, and then went and talked to their children and were shocked to hear the stories of things that have gone on. Also an eye-opener is the rationalizations that some have had. An example, one child stated that they “felt safe hanging around these drug dealers because they are the bad-asses in town.” Many children are afraid of this kid [his influence and the fact that he seems to know *everyone*] and didn’t/don’t know exactly what to do to get away from him entirely.
Storms can help relieve the muggy tension that hangs in the air. I'm hoping the rain will wash away that fine layer of filth that has been building up.