Drug testing?

[bighelp]

I just heard on the radio that many parents are stepping up to drug test their teens. One parent called in and said they were planning to drug test their 16 year old only because their co-workers were.

 

[Rip_VanWinkle]

I wouldn't go that far just because some other people are doing it. However, if I see changes in behavior or other problems, I would consider testing him in order to confront him and put him in a program. That is if I can't get the whole story by talking to him. Hopefully this will never happen.

 

[RandysDad]

That's horrible! I would rather trust my kids until they gave me a reason not to. There are too many things happening in the world they have to deal with without them thinking their parents don't trust them. Mine are thankfully, a good bunch so we don't have to worry about it-yet.

 

[Howard]

I think that is a case by case decision. I can see where some parents are not willing to take chances on this. It's better than thinking your kids can do no wrong.

 

[WillyWonka]

I don't think my kids can do no wrong, but I would be very hesitant to do drug testing without some provocation. IF they had given me reason to, I would. But since my kids have never given me any reason, I wouldn't at the moment.

 

[Davidson]

I guess it all depends on how much you trust your kids, if the signs were there I would definitely take steps, but you don't put everybody in jail just because they happened to be living in the same building as a criminal.

 

[bighelp]

Right now I have a cousin who has just told her family that she used the morning after pill when she is done having sex. Its not that we did not expect it, but her life is a wreck and now I am thinking since her mother wants her on birth control that a drug test might be next.

 

[BobbiJ]

Wow, I'm glad that I don't feel the need to drug test my kids. I really think though that if I had any feeling that they were doing things they should not be, I might have them tested. Of course I would talk to them first and try to figure it out first.

 

[Kyle31]

Luckily this isn't an issue for us. I'm not sure I understand it anyway, if you don't trust your kid and suspect they are using drugs, you have a bigger problem than the outcome of a drug test.

 

[bighelp]

It seems like they are jumping "off the cliff" just because "their friends are". To me unless there is a dire reason to do it, it should not be done. Heck I know some people that take spying on their kids to an entirely new level.

 

[Kenny]

I would never drug test my kids without some kind of suspicion that they were using something. Talk about a major betrayal of trust and privacy if you are just doing it to do it because your friends are.

 

[Denny]

I don't see this being helpful in anyway. So if you get a positive result, then what? If you get a negative result, your kid will feel so betrayed you've now created a new problem.