Yeah. There are many things that don't seem right -- I mean, I roll my eyes in general when something about a celebrity gets reported on the actual NEWS, you know? Even just things like that. I guess the pendulum tends to swing. Every generation thinks the younger ones are going to hell in a handbasket. Geez, I mean, do you remember when Madonna's "Like A Prayer" video came out? Or even when MTV came out. Or way back when whatever show it was showed a married couple with one big bed instead of two twin beds? People FREAKED. And then things settle, we reacclimate, and sooner or later, a new thing comes along for upset the apple cart. And in some ways, some things settle and heal themselves. Can you imagine having something like Woodstock today? Not likely... I do hope that the pendulum swings away from youth being left to be raised by young pop stars, and the sex and pregnancy thing. It IS scary. But all we can do is hope, try our best, and try to participate in the cycle of life. I've worried about it too.

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Wow there were some good posts here! I didn't actually read the "Yearbook" or whatever that was, just went through some back posts. Interesting to see where everyone has come from and how they were brought up and the view points on things in life. So I'll add my two sense....I had a very very rough childhood growing up. I wasn't from the "middle class" or "upper class." We weren't poor..I don't think so. My mom was married to an abusive husband that abused both of us, physically and sexually. He did all the drugs....from sniffing cocain up his nose to smoking things. I even remember the mirror he used and demonstrated rolling a dollar bill up one day to my mother! Still to this day, I don't remember much of my childhood and it really sucks! Also, my mom was in and out of mental hospitals and struggled with depression really bad and still does. She finally divorced the abusive husband and we moved away. She got married for her 3rd time and this one was good to us. I think I was 10 by this time. Went to a good school and was very very shy! If i'd do anything as break a plate at home, i'd burst into tears. I hung out with the bad crowd too...the drug dealers and the ones who did the drugs. As odd and shockingly as it is....I never once did drugs! Drugs is what made the jacka$$ husband mean and violent. So to me, as little as pot is bad. I know a lot about drugs even though I have never used. I think i'm pretty educated in that department, but i've had training too. I wasn't raised right in any means and I turned out good. Everyone I work with has no idea how I made it without falling off the deep end and i'm sane! My mom is really bad with her mental issues.

I believe that its not always how we raise our kids today. The peer pressure on kids I think is far worse than when I was younger and i'm not even that old! I have a 16 year old sister and i'm very hard on her. She is already having sex which my mom gives her to much freedom, so she's able to. She has gotten drunk, but to my knowledge she has not done drugs. I don't know if I really have a point here, so all i'm saying is that there are a few of us "kids" out there that have been around the drugs and been raised by ourselves and still turn out good. I don't know if I made much sense, but I wanted to share my past with you guys too. Sometimes I ask myself how I got so lucky and found an awesome husband that doesn't beat me and does not have a drug problem. I have struggled with depression in my life and when my mom got her 3rd divorce 3 years ago, it almost ruined my marriage. Took me a long time to get myself back into counseling, but when my husband was ready to leave, we went. They say that a lot of girls will marry their father......guess not really knowing mine helped? I see my dad maybe 2x a year! He lives 30 min away too. I could go on and on, but I think i'm off track now lol.

I'll go back and read that article now! I tend to do things backwards....I even read a magazine from the back to the front!

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Deanna~ Thanks for sharing your background. I think it's good to get to know you girls past when we O and BD! LOL.

Sorry bout the rough childhood. boy, that sounds stupid, there's no real good way to say that, is there? My mother was/is a real psycho and growing up she was an alchoholic who was incredibly unstable. It took me until I married my husband (who pointed out how much I drank) to realize that I was becoming what I hated most. So, kudos to you for seeing the substance abuse for what it is at a young age and choosing to not go down that road. Alot of kids don't make that connection.

And just as a point of conversation, I think there is a little bit of a difference between adolescent experimentation and addiction/abuse. Obviously, you can't have one the second without the first, but I think there are lots who do stupid things when they are young and grow out of it, KWIM?

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Claire~I agree with that too that experimentation is different than addiction/abuse. I'd say the majority of what people have done is pot and that is not an addictive drug. People have no problem quitting that.....at least from what i've seen. Its the harder drugs like crack, cocain, meth, acid all those....where I live meth is big. We had a huge meth lab in my small hometown where I used to live. I couldn't believe it! That stuff is terrible!

My mom is psycho in a way too. She really messes with my sisters head. Like she has to take her to work since she don't have a license and my mom made her pay her $100 for gas! They live 15 min away from my sisters work. It really makes me mad, but what can I do? I just ignore her when she's in her depressed mood, but my sister tries to please her. I'm like screw her! She used to take my new school clothes away from me when she was in her depressed mood lol! But I love her and she is my mother, can't change that. I just won't end up like her! So far i'm doing good

I went back and read the article. I agree with whoever said it would be a good newspaper article. A lot of girls probably drop out of HS when they get pregnant. When I was in HS we didn't have many having babies, but now.....my sister is telling me all the time about girls getting knocked up at 15!! Her one friend thats 17 is pregnant right now and my mom wants me to go to her baby shower....um no!

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Deanna~ Yeah, we have a bit of meth around here, too. Really nasty stuff. Here in NM, we have one county that has the highest per-capita heroine overdose rate. (yay us, we have something to brag about) In the county I live in, we have about 6 crack dealers I know of, and that's like in a community of about 3,000 people. So things are bad.

Just out of curiosity: you said your mother has "deppressed moods"? I assume by that you mean she isn't always depressed. Is she diagnosed with anything? My mother is diagnosed as Bipolar.....although there is some talk that she might have an undiagnosed personality disorder on top of that. So sometimes she goes through these irrational mean spells and sometimes she doesn't sleep for days on end and starts hallucinating. These days, she mainly pops pills and is a walking pharmacy. Then she still drinks, so....anyhow, I was just curious.

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Claire~I just read this post....sorry it took me so long. Sounds like our mothers are a lot alike. Mine doesn't drink...I believe she smokes mary jane though lol. She'll deny it! I believe my mom is bipolar, but she says she's everything else. She has tried to say she has multiple personalities too, but i've never seen any. My grandma's brother is diagnosed with it. My mom likes to think/say she has everything wrong with her. She makes up stuff to get attention. We are currently not talking. Since she had her stroke, which I fully believe she did, she claims she's having small ones. Now if you're on meds and you're still having them you'd be in the hospital! She got mad when I told her that and went off saying I wasn't loyal to her and she learned that when she got divorced. My mom is really hard to explain. She's manipulative badly! She's been in 2 hospitals for her mental condition that i'm aware of, she needs to go back. She goes in and out of moods. She'll be a total b@#$%$ one min and the next she's crying. She'll pop pills too, she has a lot of meds she's on. She'll taking to many sleeping pills and stay in bed for days. She threatens my little sister over the stupid things even. I'll be very afraid once my sister gets older cause I think she's to familar with my moms mental condition that she might have the same issues. So thats kinda my mother in a nut shell! IT SUCKS!!!

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