I'm already thinking about this and my daughter has just had her first birthday!
I think about my wife. She's a bit younger than me, so kids her age (gen x, not a boomer like me) did experiment but kind of knew what the consequences might be. They did some drinking, and other things, and all went on to be responsible, wage-earning people, now getting married and having their own kids.
I look at it this way - this stuff is out there, it will never be banned. I would hope to keep my daughter away from it for as long as possible, but at some point, she'll be exposed and I want her to understand what it is and why it's attractive to some people and why it's dangerous for some. I have several alcoholics in my family, some in AA and some who died or nearly did so I can see this. On the other hand, when I left the Seed I decided to use my own judgement so I did experiment, drink, and of course, smoke cigarettes which were by far the most difficult substance of all. I still drink in moderation, but I don't want that to be a central part of my daughter's life.
I think kids who are more vulnerable because they are lonely or angry or sad are going to have substance abuse issues. I think it's more a symptom than a cause early on, until it can become it's own major problem for addicts. [ This Message was edited by: cleveland on 2006-05-03 12:37 ][ This Message was edited by: cleveland on 2006-05-03 12:37 ]