Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll*

 * Really only one        

I've always tried to be open with my daughters about sex, drugs and rock and roll. I've told them many times their music sucks. I expect them both to have healthy and happy sex lives, just not today. In all seriousness, I'm sure one of them has had sex. Now when it comes to drugs Teri and I have been open and above board about them. We continue to remind them that they come from parents with addictive personalities. We tried to steer Elena away from energy drinks, but have not been very successful. I dread the day she wakes up with her first caffeine headache. Or worse has a heart scare from all the caffeine she ingests. Elena and Nastia in relaxed conversations occasionally drop hints as to their familiarity with the current drug culture. When I talk about pot, they call it weed. When I mention dime or nickel bags, they talk about eighths. For me a dime bag, the few I bought were ten dollars. Nastia says an eighth is forty dollars. Most likely an eighth is an eighth of an ounce. F'n millennials got to change everything. Take it from someone who watched peace, love and understanding baby boomers find reality. Most of what you're now doing will mean nothing when you're forty plus. 

Anyway the reason for this post. Nastia bought home from work a bit of weed (really, it's still pot) for a friend at work. It was the size of a button and not a big one. She wanted to smoke it and asked me if I wanted to join her. I said ok. She then goes on that we need a grinder. I get confused and ask her why? She says to grind it up into a powder so it can be smoked. I tell her it's not necessary, but we will need rolling papers. Nastia wants to use a pipe. Teri gets invited to joins us and she still had a pipe from her old days (I can't help but laugh about that and I don't know why) I crush the weed (really, it's still pot) and put it into the pipe (she really still has her pipe and it's really cute) We go into the kitchen to get the lighter and I light it up, take a quick drag feeling it enter my lungs and my wanting to cough as it expands in my lungs. I hand it to Nastia, she takes a small hit and then over to Teri who takes a deep drag and it goes around once more being relit at each stop. After two rounds it is finished and it was harsh and really crap weed (really, it's still pot!) I go to watch TV wondering if it will hit me like the pot brownies from earlier in the winter. It doesn't, it's crap weed (really....IT'S POT) Nastia goes upstairs to facetime a new person (guy) she has become friends with. She comes down later and pulls a Teri and falls asleep on the couch with her head in my lap. I watch TV until I get sleepy. Teri goes up at 10:30. Nastia sleeps until 12:30 when I try to gently wake her up. The next morning she blames the weed (POT!!) for making her sleepy. I guess it was sleepy time pot (WEED!!, OH, WHATEVER!!!) It was a major nonevent. Oh, I take that back. When Elena comes home at 9:30 she complains we smoked without her. Yeah, this is starting to sound really weird. I still think the idea of control, even if it is an illusion is necessary. We try to be approachable and open to things that we remember happening when we were younger. My parents didn't want to or couldn't talk to me about many things that I came in contact with over the years. The fact that they ignored them didn't make them go away. I also understand that just because they are open about things doesn't mean that Teri or I have any control over the outcome. We would really like Elena not to drink energy drinks, yet she still does. Smoking pot or making brownies with weed in them lets them know we condone their use. Even if we didn't would that stop them from trying them. Again I know control is all an illusion. So we concentrate on responsible use. We don't drink and drive. If you smoke be careful and call us. We'll come and get you no questions or lecture. Elena is allowed to drink Mike's hard lemonade, at home. She is just twenty and as long as she is reasonable, no problem. I guess that is all you can do. I hope I don't look back a few years later and wonder what possessed me to give them this latitude.

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