>Perfect Post Awards

It’s Perfect Post Award time and this month marks a very special one for MommaK and me- It’s our one year Perfect Post Awards anniversary! I’ve been stunned both by the numbers of you who’ve joined in on the awards (I have more than one hundred of you on my Perfect Post mailing list and I’m sure MommaK has just as many on hers). I’ve also been moved to side splitting laughter and sobbing, ugly-faced tears by some of the posts that have been awarded by you guys. You have made this so much fun and I thank all of you who’ve awarded, been awarded, or taken a moment to comment on some of the posts featured each month. I know that your words mean a lot to the bloggers who poured out their hearts and bared their souls before a bunch of strangers.

This month, I’m giving my Perfect Post Award to a dad who just started a blog about his teenage son’s drug addiction. His very first post changed my perspective in an important way- For years, my family has known a teenage girl who has gone in the last year-and-a-half from bright, witty, articulate adolescent to total, complete, drug addicted loser.

I’m ashamed to say I sort of judged her parents, who are friends of ours. “How could they just sit back and let this happen?” I would ask Hubs incredulously. “If one of the girls started using, I’d yank her out of school and homeschool her! She’d never see those druggie friends again! I’d put her in mandatory rehab! I’d ground her for life!”

Leo G. taught me in one post that, like so many things when it comes to raising teenagers, there is no easy solution when your child starts using drugs. For the first time, I saw it from the parents’ perspective. For the first time, I hurt for them rather than blaming them for their daughter’s continuing problems. For the first time, I imagined how painful it must be to watch in shock as your own adored and carefully raised child falls prey to drugs.

I wish I could help my friends, but it’s not something that’s ever brought up and I imagine they’d be horrified if I broached the topic. However, if you have any kind words or advice for Leo G, I hope you’ll stop by and offer it. I think he could really use some support.

And I hope you’ll check out some of the other awardees for this month. You’re guaranteed to find some great reads in this list. Thanks for stopping by their sites- and if you’d like to participate in next month’s Perfect Post Awards, send me an e-mail and I’ll add you to the mailing list.