Doing the Right Thing

Doing the right thing -- sometimes it can be hard.  Sometimes lines don't seem so black and white, and many times they aren't.  As a parent -- and especially as a parent of teenagers, it's really all you can do to teach them good morals and hope they remember what you've taught them since they are not likely to be under your supervision at all times.

My oldest, Keenan is 17.  He is a senior this year and as the school year started last Fall he asked if he could take a road trip with a few of his buddies over Spring Break.  I know that he's just a few short months away from "freedom", however I just didn't like the idea of the road trip.  Lots of things could happen; they could break down in the middle of nowhere, they could run out of money, and of course you never know if they'll run into other sorts of trouble.

While I know I can't protect him from everything for the rest of his life, I do want to be able to do what I can while he's still a minor.  I told him no, but that he could instead take the School-Sponsored/Chaperoned trip to California.  In the name of Science, they would go to Wild Animal Park, Seaworld, Knotsberry Farm, California Adventures, Disneyland, and possibly swimming with the Dolphins should there be time.   This was a great compromise and he and a bunch of his friends had soon signed up and began paying their installments.

Fast Forward.

He just returned from his California Spring-Break trip yesterday and told me about an encounter he had at one of the hotels. This particular Hotel had a swimming pool and a workout room with a huge picture window overlooking the pool.  One night he, a buddy, another classmate and a foreign exchange student from school were in the workout room.  An older man with an accent, poked his head in and tells the kids he's got beer and weed in his room and would they like to come join him for some "fun"?  Keenan's buddy was shocked and sort of shook his head 'no' while Keenan calmly replied, "Nah...  I don't drink or do drugs, but thanks anyway."   The man said something to the effect of, "Well, I'm from Canada, so it's inevitable I do these things."  (Whatever THAT's supposed to mean.)  To Keenan's surprise, the other guy and the exchange student agreed to follow this guy to his room.

Keenan could see through the window that the man had approached several other of his classmates in the pool area, offering them the same "fun".  Some followed. Most did not.

I'm not sure how many minutes passed by, but it was enough time for a myriad of thoughts to quickly pass through Keenan's mind.  Why would a GROWN MAN be inviting a bunch of High School kids to his room?  That just doesn't seem right; what is he getting out of it?  The legal drinking age in [the exchange student's] country is 16 and they have a "non-enforcement" policy on weed, so it's likely this particular exchange student has tried both back home.  However, she isn't at home.  She is in a completely different country and has just entered the room of a completely strange man in a completely new town.  And while Keenan thought those kids were foolish to follow that guy, because if they got caught it could mean suspension from school, the deciding factor was this.  If I do nothing and something bad ends up happening to them, I will feel awful; especially about the girl.

So, Keenan and his buddy went back to their room, grabbed a few of their other guy friends and headed down to the Canadian's room.  Keenan wasn't exactly sure what he would say to convince them to leave, but he felt he had to say something.  He didn't want to come across as self-righteous or anything either, because even if his intentions are good, teenagers don't always have rational thinking and not all of them might see it his way.  

He knocked on the door of the room and the buzzed Canadian opened it and invited them in.  Keenan saw the girl and a handful of other classmates.  Standing in the doorway he suddenly announced the chaperones were getting ready to make their "room checks" and that they should all head back to their rooms quickly.  (Even though it wasn't curfew yet, the chaperones had a habit of doing "room checks" 20-30 minutes early each night, just to see where everyone was, who was at the pool or the game room, etc.)

Perhaps there was a student there who thought Keenan was ruining their party.  But I would bet there may have been one or two in the room that were hoping for an excuse to leave, which Keenan provided.  I am glad he did the right thing and felt the need to "help" some of his peers get out of a bad situation.  It's not always easy to say no to something that's being offered right in front of you, and curiosity may even be enough enticement.

I feel very blessed that Keenan is confidant in his own skin and that he has enough integrity to say "no" even in the midst of his peers.

Way to go, Son!  You sure know how to make a mama proud!

Death, by Snot

If you're like me, you hate being sick. If you're like me, you hate going into the clinic, filling out papers when your head seems to be spinning and your vision blurring, all while every noise seems to echo into what now feels like a tin-can head.

Welcome to the common cold, my friends. Don't worry, it's not just you. Everybody's doin' it. Haha.

But there are some things you MAY not know about the common cold. SOMETIMES, the common cold can turn into a sinus infection. It's true. In fact the number one cause of a sinus infection is the common cold. But that isn't where the problem lies, per se. The problem is the result of NOT taking care of said cold. If you don't believe me, check it out {{HERE}}, {{HERE}}, or {{HERE}}

I know what you're thinking. Stop right there Ms. Not So Usual -- this doesn't appear to be one of your Not So Usual Posts about how asparagus makes your pee smell funny or how some guy you barely know sends you an invite to the Secret Society of Secrets. You're right dear readers; it's not. And I know what else you're thinking. This isn't one of your rants or raves or even one of your feel-good-faith-promoting posts, either. Again, right you are! I can't slip anything past you, can I?

It's true my friends. What we've got ourselves here is a good old-fashioned informational post that could really help you out and even prevent you from dying. Yep, you heard me... DYING.

And why, praytell, you ask am I posting such a post? Because I care! Well, 90% of me cares anyway. The other 10% is seeking acknowledgment for possibly/probably saving one of y'all's precious lives. What can I say? It's how I do.

Ok -- back to colds and snot and death and dying.

After reading several facts from the Trusted and Renowned Mayo Clinic (link above) here is what I have learned.

A common cold can drain into your sinuses. Tons of "back-up"/"blockage" in your sinuses can cause a sinus infection. A sinus infection (left untreated) can cause a myriad of other things. For Example...

- It can trigger an ASTHMA ATTACK!

- It can drain into your ear and cause an INNER EAR INFECTION!

- It can drain behind your eye sockets and cause poor vision or even BLINDNESS!

- It can drain into the face and cause BELL'S PALSY!

- ear infections and Meningitis can also cause Bell's Palsy!

- Bell's Palsy can lead to a Stroke, a Ruptured Annuerysm, or Tumors!

- It can cause BLOOD CLOTS in the Sinus Areas!

- It can spread to the lining of your brain and cause MENINGITIS! SIEZRUES! COMA! and even DEATH!

For reals. The best thing to do when you get a "head cold" is to not let it back up into the sinuses. The easiest way to do this is to take something to dry it up and clear it out!

Once, I thought I merely had the "sniffles". But then the room started spinning and I felt like I was going to throw up. My friend took me to the Insta-Care to find out that I had an inner-ear infection caused by an untreated sinus infection. I didn't have the traditional headache/sinus pressure and I did not have a fever. I did have the sniffles for several days however. The Dr. advised me that if it last for more than a few days to get it checked out, because it could be a sinus infection.

My coworker's sister got Bell's Palsy from a sinus infection that went untreated and a friend's mother lost some of her vision! Thankfully, I do not know of anyone who has died from an untreated sinus infection. And I don't want to see those stats change!

So, dear readers, do me a solid and take care of those sniffles when they arise. It's Snot one of those "set it and forget it" type of deals. Do what you can to clear nasal passages and keep those sinus cavities clear!

In the mean time, I am taking another dose of the Zicam myself. I'm going on day three of my sinus cold. If it is any worse tomorrow I'm calling in to see if I can get a script.

On that note, good luck dear readers. Continue good hand-washing practices, nurse your colds and for Heaven's Sakes! This is NOT one of those things you've just got to pay forward!

Oh -- and after this, we will return to our regularly scheduled programming of Not So Usual me and stuff about me...or stuff said by me... and stuff seen by me......

Mar-i-ju-ana

So, my son gets home from a party tonight just before midnight. He doesn't have his key, therefore, I have to get up out of bed and open the door. As I am letting him in, I smell something funny as he walked past me.

"Were you smoking Mari-ju-ana?" I ask, enunciating and pronouncing the "j".

He looks at me and sort of chuckles. "No," he replies. "Why?"

"I don't know," I say. "I smell something sort of like it." I notice he is chewing something, so I ask, "What are you chewing?"

He holds his hand out with evidence and states, "Swedish Fish."

"That's what I asked," I reply. "Were you smoking Mari-ju-Swedish-Fish?"

Again he chuckles and then asks, "Are YOU smoking Mari-ju-ana?"

"Go to bed," I state, as I head back to my room.

I get back on FB and tell my sister the conversation. About a minute later he walks in and says, almost as if it is an after thought, "I can't believe that is the first thing you said to me as I walked in the house."

All I can do is laugh.

Now - I have never thought in a million years that my kid would smoke marijuana, or even know where or how to get it. But the smell just seemed so foreign. I guess it was my way of saying, "what's that smell?" So - why didn't I just ask that?

Who knows... perhaps because it is midnight? Or maybe, I just like saying Mari-Ju-Ana!

If anything, now he knows that if he ever DID try to come home like that, I'd know. By the way - I don't even think he really knows what Marijuana or other drug even look like, thank goodness.