Tough Life Lesson

Last week, Eric lost a good friend in a tragic car accident. This is the second friend he's lost in this manner in about 2 years. This has been a well publicized news story here in Atlanta. As Taylor and I were sitting down to watch Dark Knight last night, I got another phone call that Eric was on the news. Yesterday a mom was arrested for supplying her stepson and his friends (including the boy who crashed his car) with alcohol. Apparently there was a party at her house and she thought it'd be a good idea to let the kids drink and let them drive off. Eric knew of the party, but did not attend. He knows other kids who went, drank, and drove home. In the best of circumstances, it can be difficult to keep kids away from alcohol. Parents who are trying really hard to raise their children in the best way possible do NOT need another parent to undo everything they're trying to instill in their kids. It's the classic case of parents trying to be "friends" with the children and their peers. My parents were not my friends and I believe it saved me from a lot of grief as a kid and it's something I highly respect them for. This particular mom has four children, including a toddler and a newborn. Now she's in jail and her kids don't have a mom for the time being. What I'd love to ask her is, "Was it really worth it?" A teenager is dead, you're in jail, was it really worth being a "fun and popular mom" for the night? I consider this woman very fortunate not to have more than one death on her hands. Eric's friend hit another car. Those people could have been killed. Other kids who left the party after drinking could have suffered the same fate as their friend. It's a big mess and it could have been prevented with a mature parental decision to say "no." Imagine that!