long weekends

The kids had no school Thursday or Friday because of teacher in-services. I love teacher in-service days. I love four day weekends, but I think I am unique in that I like having my kids home from school.

Thursday night (Friday morning, really) was drama filled. Paige went to a party, which I knew about, that was busted by the po-po. A kid apparently took Vicodin and a bunch of vodka shots and was then unresponsive...passed out. If you read my blog back In January or February you read about Danielle McCarthy, who died of an ecstasy overdose after being at a party. Her parents thought she was staying the night with a friend here in town, but instead, she went north to a few parties. A friend provided her with the e, and that friend is now going to be tried as an adult for manslaughter and controlled-substance homicide. So scary.

Well, I hoped that Danielle's death would have scared a few kids straight, and it may have, but not Mr. 2V. Luckily one of the kids called 911, which I guess pissed off more than a few kids because MiP citations were apparently being handed out once the cops got there. Paige was completely freaked out. Only she and another kid or two were actually where their parents thought they'd be. Paige also wasn't drinking, though I think she could have been given a MiP just for being at the party, really.

I guess 2V is fine now. He was able to go to homecoming the next night (Saturday). Yes. He pretty much overdosed on drugs and alcohol, and his parents let him go to homecoming. I know it's hard to take something like homecoming away from a kid; he had planned this for weeks and had a date who was depending on his attendance, but he took vicodin and vodka, which put him in the hospital. It blows me away. I hope he, at least, received a MiP and will get his license revoked. I would be willing to bet that there were plenty of kids drinking at that party who planned to drive home.

Paige got home around 2:30am from all of this. She was in constant communication with us throughout the ordeal.

I know kids party. I don't think that is ever going to change; it's part of that playing pretend that kids do beginning in the toddler years. It's just that playing pretend in the mid to late teen years is "let's pretend we're invincible and that we can drive hella fast and crazy without getting hurt! We can mix drugs and alcohol that are not compatible and live to see the next day! See how grown-up we are?"

When I went to parties in high school, way back in the 80's (ha), there was just animal beer to drink. Sometimes someone would sneak a bottle of booze from their parents. I do remember coke being done at some of the parties (it was the 80's, after all), but that shit scared me. I never even smoked weed. Beer. Booze.

And I had to walk uphill both ways to the parties.

I trust Paige, but I waver between trusting her and and feeling paranoid that she's conning me really well. I feel like she has a good head on her shoulders, though.

I wonder how many kids a year die from drug or alcohol consumption and how many die in alcohol related auto accidents. How many are permanently injured/affected? Not that it matters to teenagers because they have that whole invincibility thing going on.