Y'all have valid points and reason behind what you think. What I think you need to remember is to take a deep breath. None of us will agree 100%. There are things we'll disagree with strongly just as we all do things that others will judge critically. To err is human ... My father sober was no less abusive than his alcoholic grandfather. Alcohol had nothing to do with it and yes there where times food was scarce though we never went hungry. I thought toast and hot chocolate for Sunday night dinner was a treat not knowing it was because there was nothing else. Having him threaten me with a raised axe in a fit of rage was just simply his temper. Substance use nor abuse was not the determing factor. Yes, substance abuse is in far too many cases a downward spiral for both the abuser and those around them but equating use to abuse is also misguided. Can early experimentation lead to abuse, yes but most often not. I have older male cousins who smoked pot, not sure if they did anything harder. For one it was how he coped with PTSD from his service in Nam. All of them went on to be responsible adults who raised families. There were kids, friends, I went to school with, both HS and college who smoked pot and drank. None went on to abuse substances. Abuse is a symptom of a deeper problem be the substance alcohol, food, pharmaceutical, sex, etc. Because there is a strong genetic tendancy for substance abuse in my family tree I am by choice very careful. I rarely drink, no longer smoke, don't use pot even though some have advocated it for a chronic health issue I have. I have made what for me is a responsible choice based on risk. While that's my personal choice, I accept and condone responsible use in others. The operative being a responsible choice. I think a broadstroke judgement unfair. Because some overeat to their own detriment should others be judged negatively for enjoying an occasional bacon cheeseburger and fries. Should I have instead of teaching my son to be responsible simply denied him an opportunity because others made poor choices ... I think not, despite the occasional hurt when his choice went awry. I regret not interfering with one major choice he made, one entirely legal and highly advocated, that led to a great deal of frustration, hurt and life long consequences. Later when I spoke of that regret he responded, telling me he didn't regret it because he experienced and learned so much. Are there instances where I disagree with what happens in these stories, most definitely. I disagree with things people do in real life too. Can I accept that I disagree, yes, most definitely. This is not a gay My Three Sons. The adult characters are overall responsible and caring and the kids respond. Parenting is tough. We make choices based on who we are and who our kids are. Kids are unique, what works with one may not with another. We Christians believe God is the perfect father and yet look what happened with Adam and Eve and their offspring. One thou shalt not and what do they do. For millennia we've known and accepted that mistakes/poor choices are gonna happen, it's what happens after that's important. Sometimes when we are forced day after day into seeing the negative effect of choices made we see only that negative consequence. That doesn't mean negative consequence happens to all. I think this discourse of mine has rambled enough. Just consider there is in most cases no perfect right or wrong.
