The Gift
What you are about to read is the wisdom of parents who have gone before you. They are telling you what they wished someone would have told them. This is their gift to you.
"Regardless of what your child tells you, if he/she goes to any party in Edmond, there will be alcohol and drugs available." (Edmond Mom)
"I thought that if I allowed my child and his friends to drink under my control, then they wouldn't be out drinking and driving. This was a huge mistake on my part and I will live to regret it for the rest of my life." (Edmond Father)
"My son graduated from Memorial last year. I wish I had taken his abuse of alcohol (beer) more seriously. I believe my son is an alcoholic, he is 19." B.L. (Edmond Mother)
"I had trouble when I was growing up and believed my son would eventually learn from his mistakes, as I did. He graduated from Memorial High School in 94, he is now in an Edmond nursing home after attempting suicide while high on ######." Tom (Edmond Father)
"I listen to and believed what my daughter's drug counselor told me but I refused to make time for the changes she suggested. It is too late for me but not for you, make time for the problem and take action." Samantha (Guthrie Mom)
"Everyone knew about my son's drug use but me, I was the last to know. I'm angry about that, why didn't one of his friends, another parent or one of his teachers tell me? They all knew." I feel so stupid, don't you be so gullible, if your child is using, your child is abusing." (Edmond Mom)
"I knew I had a very serious problem with my son but my husband refused to believe it was a big deal. Because of this, our marriage of 17 years is over. My son (age 22) is presently in his second treatment program and I don't even remember my daughter growing up." Reach common ground with your spouse and do everything you can to stop your child from using alcohol and/or drugs." (Oklahoma City Mom)
"The doctors and psychologists did not recognize substance abuse in our daughter. Each time the subject of drug and alcohol was not mentioned, we thought we had dodged the bullet again. We saw all the signs - loss of weight, change in friends, loss of interest in hobbies, falling grades, change in dress and hairstyles and change in behavior. We wish that we had listened to the warning deep in our heart and contacted a substance abuse therapist when we first saw the signs." S.A. (Edmond Mom)
"I would set rules and create boundaries, then I would relent and give in to my daughter. A counselor at the treatment center told me that is the number one reason kids continue to use and relapse." Sara (Enid Mom)
"My wife and I made every mistake parents could make. We are good parents, like you, but were uneducated in the subject of substance abuse as it relates to adolescents. This lack of knowledge kept us in denial and prevented us from attempting appropriate and proven steps which may have prevented the most destructive and potentially deadly of all childhood diseases, addiction." Pat and Vickie Nichols (Edmond Parents)
