Teach Your Children Well

Certain stories I tell as much as I can. They haunt me because of their truth and their consequences.

I have to admit that it shocked me to learn that most teenagers who abuse alcohol get their first drink from their parents. A lesson in poor parenting. I can hear some say, "They are going to get it so they might as well learn how to drink at home." To this I suggest the following--timing is everything. The average age for this to happen is way too young--early adolescent. And in our culture, a parent giving alcohol to their kids is not a crime. It just does not add up. For those who are shaking their head at me, read on. It is a true story.

It was graduation night. You remember how it was when you graduated. Maybe you remember the graduation from High School or perhaps it is college. This one was from High School.

Mom and Dad knew that their daughter was going to be celebrating. She was spending the night with friends. Little did they know how their life would change.

About two o'clock, the phone rang. You hope that when the phone rings at this time it is a wrong number. Unfortunately this one was not. The voice on the other end of the phone gave them bad news. Their daughter was in a very bad wreck. They needed to get to the hospital.

The parents rushed to the hospital to find their worst nightmare was no longer a dream. Their daughter was driving home. The car left the road. She left their life. Graduation was not what it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be a beginning. Now it was an end.

The father went to the scene of the accident. He had to see it with his own eyes. The car was mangled beyond belief. As he looked in the car, he found the empty bottle. In a rage, he swore to himself, "I will find the one who gave this to my daughter. They will pay!"

Numbed by grief, he made his way home. The house was dark with despair. His life was forever changed. He sat at his table and wept. As he looked around, he noticed that the door to his own liquor cabinet was open. As he went to close the door, he noticed a slip of paper. He recognized the writing immediately. It was a note from his daughter, "Dad, borrowed a bottle to celebrate. Did not think you would mind. Love, Susie."

He taught his daughter.

Fathers, Mothers, teach your children by example the virtues of life. Stay on the high road--life will bring the low road more readily than one can imagine. Parenting, like life, is a gift.