Jay and his mum were on the way home from attending an evening at school for parents and teenagers. The event was designed for parents and teens to build communication skills around the issues that kids face during high school.
The night had gone so well that Jay decided this was a good time to ask his mum about drugs. He had been wanting to do that for a long time, but figured he’d just get a lecture. He wanted something more real than that.
Jay told his mum about a party he had recently attended where some of the kids were smoking pot. Jay had never smoked pot before and he was tempted to give it a try, but he declined because he thought about what his parents might do if they found out. Now seemed like a good opportunity to find out exactly what they would do.
So he asked his mum.
She replied that she would be terribly disappointed in him. That she would feel she had failed as a parent. That she wouldn’t be able to trust him anymore. That she would seek professional counselling for the whole family.
Her answer seemed pretty clear, until--
A few weeks later, the family was packing for week of skiing. As Jay was helping to load the last of the bags into the trunk, he knocked over his mom’s bag and a small pipe fell out. He picked it up and saw traces of pot left in the bottom of it. Now what?
All the way to the mountains Jay replayed that moment of finding the pipe. The hypocrisy was too much. Now, what should he do? Should he stay quiet and assume this gives him a perfect excuse to smoke pot, or should he confront his mum and tell her what it felt like to find the pipe in her bag?
All Jay knew for sure was that he resented having to make this choice at all.
- What are the possible consequences if Jay confronts his mum?
- What are the possible consequences if Jay says nothing and waits to use the information later?
- Can you think other options Jay might choose?
- What are some of the feelings Jay probably felt when he discovered his mom’s pipe?
- What would you do if you were in Jay’s shoes?
- Can you think of a time recently when someone you admired let you down?
- What are some examples of hypocrisy that you see in adults? What do you think are some causes why those examples exist?
- How comfortable are you with your parents in discussing some of the choices you’re making in your life right now?