Bailjumper, I'm so impressed with how you've handled your child's issues. Alot of parents would just scream and yell at them and not help them find ways to overcome the stress of being a teen. And the family together time is HUGE. Congratulations to you and your wife for implementing such a seemingly successful "program" in your home. It's so refreshing to hear of parents who are helping their children solve their problems instead of ingoring them and saying "kids will be kids".

Karried, you most certainly did the right thing. You should also send your friend Bailjumper's post and suggest they get on the bandwagon. Smuggling drugs at 16 does not bode well for this kid's future. Quite honestly, if I were the parents, I would reevaluate the wisdom of their Italy trip at this time and think about whether their priorities are straight. If the parents are both working so much (partially so they can take long vacations out of the U.S.), maybe they should scale back the vaca's and spend more time at home, getting to know their kids. Just my humble opinion, of course.

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"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity." -George Bernard Shaw