As a parent, we feel responsible for the actions of our children. When my child started acting out, I felt ashamed. I apologized to people for her behavior. I paid for the things she stole. I made excuses for her, and I did whatever I could to keep it all secret. After all, her failures were my failures, right? I’ve tried to teach her right from wrong but, if she does wrong, I must not have done a good enough job. My parenting skills are obviously lacking. That’s certainly how it felt.

After years of turmoil, I think I’ve learned a lot. One of the big lessons is that it’s not my fault. We can do everything within our power to raise our children right, and they can still make wrong choices. They have free will and it is not within our power to make their choices for them.

When I really needed help, I found very little support for parents of addicts. That’s my reason for finally making the decision to start a blog. I believe it’s time to be transparent with each other. We have an epidemic among our teens and being ashamed to talk about it isn’t going to help anyone. I have literally YEARS of stories and experience to share.