Customer Reviews

My Big Sister Takes Drugs

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This book is perfect if, like me, you just CANNOT talk to your kids. Plop em down in the corner with this book and you have got gold. Blammo. Try the other books in the series like "What is up with Mom and her New Friend Barbara?" and my personal favorite "How Come That Man Staring At Me?"

I was surprised when my 7-year-old daughter wanted to check this book out of our public library, but decided to let her read it. The reality is that drugs are a part of our society and kids are learning about them at a very young age. She has already learned about the dangers of drugs at school, and this book was a good example of how destructive addiction can be to families. I think it was a realistic portrayal and my daughter was empathetic to the young character in the story who loses the love of his older sister as well as his chance to attend soccer camp since his parents must pay for his sister's rehab.

You are doing something very detrimental to your child's development with scare tactic "education". The unrealistic pressure you put on them by the no tolerance "Drugs are horrible" stance will keep them from coming to you if they need help, hide any habits they have (you don't have enough trust between you and them for your child to be open about his or her habits or experiences, and the constant anxiety of them having to hide a part of their life from you causes a plethora of problems)prevent them from learning about the actual dangers of drugs and the actual effects and keep them from utilizing harm reduction techniques if they ever try to experiment.

Why is it that parents are afraid of being honest with their kids. Drugs can be used responsibly, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine. They are all drugs, and can be used in a way that is healthy and even beneficial. If you can't tell your kid that drugs are detrimental to mental health until about 20 and after that they are more or less fine (not stimulants or injected drugs) if used in a safe, responsible, reasonable and educated maner; then you really aren't responsible enough to have children. Drug ABUSE is usually caused by mental issues or depression, which is a health issue, not a legal or moral one. There is nothing immoral about eating/ smoking something to lift your depression or forget about not having friends as a temporary solution, it saves lives actually. Recreational drugs are only dangerous (other than because they are not regulated in a mature manner rather than anyone who so much as speaks about them in an honest way gets labeled a druggie or addict and persecuted for having an intelligent view point, let alone if the police are involved in any way.
You are indoctrinating your kids.
"Not until you are an adult with a fully developed central nervous system," NOT "YOU WILL GET ADDICTED EVERY TIME! YOU WILL DIE! YOU WILL GO TO JAIL FOREVER! YOU WILL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE! YOU WILL HAVE HORRIBLE DISEASES AND DIE IN PAIN!"

This book epitomizes what is wrong about the current stances on drug use.

It doesn't work for drinking, it doesn't work for drugs, it doesn't work for sex.

Only HONEST AND OBJECTIVE education works.
Your kids WILL drink, have sex, probably try drugs. It is your job to talk to them in an objective way with an emphasis on harm reduction and emotional support. Keep them from becoming addicted, from drunk driving, from doing coke and ODing. It is your responsibility to foster a level of trust where they can call you at 3am to be picked up from a party when they are drunk, or high, not to bring down the hammer of shame on them when they experience LIFE.