Drunk on Childhood

In the car, Freestone says, "Look Mom, I'm drunk!"  Trying to keep my eyes on the road, I absently reply, "What do you mean, Free?"

I look over to spy a candy cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth.  I smirk.  "Drunk on candy cigarettes, Free?"  Enthusiastically, he says, "No, drunk on a real cigarette!  Ha ha ha!"

So our kids are pretty sheltered.  Our ten-year-old thinks cigarettes get you drunk.

Just last week, Scott banned me from talking about travel.  So when he overheard Golda and me planning a hypothetical trip, I assured him, "Don't worry!  We're not talking about travel.  If you hear us talk about a trip, we're just talking about drugs."

Alarmed, Golda blurted out, "There's a drug called 'Trip!?'"

So yeah, even our older kids hang out with the kinds of friends who don't care to know about drug culture.  Oh, I'm sure drugs and alcohol are around in the schools, but...big deal.  If Freestone can get high off a whiff of powdered sugar from a "candy stick," I'm almost positive it's not time to educate him about drugs.

And that's why my kids will have the day off next week during the "Red Ribbon Week" assembly, to which they have now added White Ribbon Week, which educates children about pornography.  And this while some of my kids are still traumatized by the graphic images and stories of suicide and brain damage they were exposed to during last year's assembly.  When it comes to social issues that parents are responsible for teaching, I quote Pink Floyd:

We don't need no education.
We don't need no thought control...
Hey!  Teacher! Leave us kids alone!

Thanks, but I'll decide when to take away my child's naivete.  Not yet.  I still think it's charming when Freestone smokes those candy sticks.