Bear found a used syringe this evening when he was playing out. Thank goodness he didn't touch it but shouted out to me. I'll ring it in to the council if it is still there tomorrow morning, but the council was shut when he found it.
How do you explain things to a nearly nine year old? I did my best, and tried to explain that drugs could make you feel wonderful for a time but came at a dreadful price. I don't know a lot about drugs, but I do know that any person I know that has done drugs has been lessened by them. I said that to bear. I told him that it could lead to diseases that couldn't be cured. I tried to be matter of fact. What I couldn't say was that in a very short time there will be dealers happy to target the young teens and he needs to be sceptical. He needs to be on his guard. He needs to be wary. We used to have a drug dealer living a few doors down. He was fine with us. I am under no illusions.
When I first held bear I didn't realise the absolute helpless worry of not knowing the right thing to say about something that could break his life. He is going to get a lot of hugs tonight.
It's hard to know what to say to young children when the real world intrudes, isn't it? I'm sure you said the right thing to Bear, though. What is important is you keep talking with him and you'll be surprised, but he'll remember those talks when he gets older. Give him a hug from me, too, please. He sounds like a lovely child.
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