Teenagers and Drugs

When I mentioned earlier that I was confused by big kids, I wasn't very accurate. I like teenagers. Edwin and I enjoy kids in middle and high schools. It's the elementary kids that throw me off. I can handle playing Ring Around The Rosy, and I can get into a game of laser tag or capture the flag. The in-betweeners, however, throw me for a loop.

Last night we were able to play with some of the kids in the church's youth ministry. It's the month of prayer (an annual emphasis) at First Baptist, a part of which includes in-home prayer meetings. Edwin and I were able to be a part of the one for the youth, thanks to a very generous Youth Dude. After the prayer time was concluded, we all had a chance to chat and play. It made me lonesome for the kids back in Kentucky.

There was one thing that was especially interesting. Edwin went to the doctor yesterday, and discovered that his respiratory system is out of service due to infection. The doctor put him on some prescription cough syrup. It's the hard stuff. It was obvious that the stuff had an affect on him. He was talking very slowly, and saying strange things. It's really a very good thing that he is such a genuinely good person, or else he might have said some questionable things. But he is that genuinely good, and what he said was weird, not immoral. He kept saying, "I wonder why I feel so weird. It's like I just downed an entire bottle of NyQuil." He went to take another dose, and after downing four teaspoons, realized that he was supposed to take 1 teaspoon four times a day (that would be every six hours, just in case you too are on such a medication), not 4 teaspoons every four hours. That man had taken 8 teaspoons in four hours!

I called poison control. Edwin didn't want me to, but I'd prefer to raise my children with his help, if possible. This was just too stupid of a reason for that dream to end. The poison control lady said that he'd taken the same dose as a drug addict, but that he'd be okay. He couldn't drive, and he would feel very, um, relaxed for a few hours, but he wasn't in danger. Whew!

Youth Dude made the oh-so-wise decision to be there when the kids' parents arrived. The last thing that any parent needs is to discover that their teenage child has been hanging out with a high missionary with only his wife to supervise all night. The kids seemed to enjoy Edwin's zoned-out behavior. So did the adults (that would be Youth Dude and me, if I can be considered an adult). That man will do anything to entertain!

Thanks to Youth Dude for allowing us to share in the fun, and for not being annoyed with us for contaminating him and the kids with whatever it is that has attacked Edwin's respiratory system (sorry, Youth Dude's Awesome Chick). Thanks to my parents for letting us use their house. Oh, and thanks to the teenagers for putting up with some boring (even when highly medicated) old fogies like ourselves.