I never claim to be the perfect parent. I did the best I could with the knowledge I had and all I could do was hope that it was enough to guide my children in the right direction.
My daughter being strong minded, free spirited and very opinionated from an early age, made it difficult for her in school. When we moved to a new school district, I had hoped it would be a new start for her.
I was excited when she made a friend the first day of school. I wasn’t excited three weeks later when, I found out she smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol. I knew there would come a day when I would have to face the inevitable but I didn’t want it to be this soon, not in 9th grade. I also didn’t want tell my, oh so excited daughter, that she couldn’t hang out with her new best friend anymore because she smoked and drank. I was afraid if I did that it would push her right down the wrong path. I simply explained to her, what the consequences of drinking and smoking would be and that she knew right from wrong. I told her that I really didn’t want her hanging out with someone like this but I was leaving it up to her to make the right decision.
I knew she had to make this decision on her own and all I could do was have faith that she was the person, I raised her to be.
Two weeks later when she found out this girl wasn’t really who she thought she was she chose not to be her friend. She made the right choice and I couldn’t have been more proud of her at the time.
This was my daughter’s best friend the first two months of 9th grade.
I must have done something right.
