Teen Mantras

 So a friend sent this to me over the weekend, and I loved the whole message. Even if you don't have teens, these are worth reading and sharing.

1. Yes, your freshman year counts towards your GPA for college entrance. Screw it up and you’ll work for crap wages your whole life. 

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2. No means NO. In every possible circumstance.

 

3. Join every sport, every club, every after school activity no matter what the cost. It’s cheaper than bail.

4. Repeat after me: I am never in that much of a hurry…I am never in that much of a hurry. Now say that every time you get behind the wheel. It will save your life and that of your best friend in the seat next to you.

5. Don’t smoke pot. It ruins your

 short term memory. (Did I already say that?)

6. Don’t ever get a credit card. Ever. You earn it or you live without it.

7. If I yell at you, it’s because I love you. And also, because you pissed me off. To avoid the latter, stop being an idiot.

8. Make a vivid picture inside your head of every great moment of your childhood. You’ll need those to get through adulthood.

9. Make snow angels as often as possible.

10. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

11. Be always benevolent. Yes, that’s a word. Look it up.

12. Call me for a ride even if you are so drunk you barely know my number. I’ll probably be mad for a while but I’ll respect you for calling and I won’t kill you. Riding with someone who is drinking will.

13. Be a leader, not a follower. Unless you are doing stupid things, then follow the kid with the highest GPA.

14. Love your siblings, even when you don’t like them. Some day you will be trying to get them to take care of me in my old age. If they are mad at you, you are stuck with me.

15. I’ve been there, done that on more things than you can imagine. I’m not stupid and I know what you are doing. I was once you (times ten).

16. Work hard at everything you do. Anything worth doing is worth doing your best at.

17. Cover it. (Enough said.)

18. When I tell you to clean your room, do not point at my messy room and raise your eyebrows. I’m trying to raise you to be better than me.

19. Learn to type; to budget; and to pray. All are equally important.

20. Never be sedentary. Some day soon you will no longer be able to move like that. Enjoy it.

What Would Cheech And Chong Think?

I was watching TV last Friday night and I caught a news story that got my attention.

It was a news piece on the benefits of using medical marijuana as an alternative treatment for adolescents with severe ADD and ADHD. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Fascinated, I watched on. A mother of a 13 year old boy with severe ADHD was talking about how medical marijuana has literally saved her son's life. After years of trying all kinds of drugs and alternative drugs to help her son, the doctor prescribed an unconventional treatment; medical marijuana. The mother reported that her son was instantly able to find his equilibrium and return to school.

While I personally feel like a little hit-off-the-peace-pipe-a-day, may keep the doctor away, I couldn't condone the regular smoking of cannabis for adolescents, as the obvious dangers of smoking anything come into play. The story went on to explain that there are alternative ways to take the pot into the body. Research says that cannabis can be baked into foods and/or made into tea and candy. And that same research is inconclusive. Longitudinal studies are being done to determine the credibility of marijuana as an effective treatment of ADD and ADHD and the findings at this time are undocumented.

Still, people like the mother of the 13 year old feel that she would rather have her son "take a hit" and find his inner balance, then give him large doses of amphetamines and Ritalin which have been unsuccessful in her son's case. Also, proponents of medical dope say there are far too many adults suffering from ADD/ADHD who swear by it. A search of the internets turned up all kinds of pro and con arguments and lots of medical professionals who are either for it, or willing to look at the research on it.

I say if it makes you feel better and works to promote a better life, then I am all for it, as unconventional as it may be. The unfortunate truth is that it's regular use can lead to a lifetime of addiction and other medical problems. But maybe just as much as prescribed narcotics can, and one can argue the "organic" aspect of using marijuana as an alternative treatment. Has society vilified an organic substance that quite possibly could be a "miracle drug" in the treatment of certain disorders? The benefits of cannabis have long been touted as an approved medical treatment in the management of pain and other chronic disorders. Why not now?

Only time will tell, but in the meantime how could we begrudge a teen for using a prescribed substance under a doctors orders, to alleviate a chronic disorder just because society says it's bad for you?

On The Flip Side

There are two sides to every story.
Yesterday I wrote about the horrors that some teens are capable of.
Today I'm sharing the flip side of that story.

Maybe it was fate, karma or whatever you want to call it, but when I got this in my email today, I knew I had to share it with you.

There is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy 25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times.

A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight. Be sure to scroll down and check out the multiple photos. (all angles) of the rock. I thought the flag was draped over the rock, but it's not. It's actually painted on the rock too.

Here's the artist: Ray ' Bubba ' Sorensen.

Congrats Bubba. You have redeemed my faith in teens.