Before we ever placed our children in the school where they currently are, we knew the ground game. We knew the policies and what was expected from a moral/values (though I HATE the way that word is used to divide people) perspective. We were told that the school had implemented a random, computer-generated drug/alcohol screening that each month would pick students to screen for d/a use.
At the beginning of the week, the high school principal called me. As soon as I heard his voice, I just knew he was going to tell me that my daughter had been caught kissing Adam in the hall between class. I just KNEW! Well, what he actually said was that Austen's name had been selected by the computer to be tested for d/a, and I was being notified. Was I o.k. with it?
Well, first of all, how could I not be o.k. with it, as I had signed on with my eyes open. Secondly, though, when it's MY child, and not just a theoretical child, it made me nervous! Has my child given me reason to believe she's a user of anything? No. With Austen's participation in cheer, I fully expect and even hope that she'll be called out for drug testing. HOWEVER, what I realized in those first few moments is that since she and I do NOT have great communication right now, I can be assured of NOTHING.
One thing I've learned in my 39 years on this earth is to never be surprised. I do not vouch for anyone regarding opinions or activities, because I never truly know. None of us do. Some of the perfect marriages fall apart. I've heard on many occasions the wife half of a couple say, "well, we think ...." Problem is, I've heard the husband half of the couple say something entirely different. It's as though some women feel their opinions have no value unless backed up by a man.
Anyway, I've digressed. Back to the drug screen. So, of course, I told the principal that he could go ahead, but I realized that there were 2 reasons I hesitated. The first is that life is difficult enough right now, with the financial uncertainties, holidays, college looming in the near future, etc. The last thing I need on our familial plate is a child with a substance abuse issue. Test her, sure, but can't this wait until January? What's a few weeks? The second reason is that I didn't want to be embarrassed. I know that's selfish. But the truth is, though our daughter has very little downtime between school and cheer practice when she's not with family, she DID go out last weekend, and though we dropped her off and picked her up and we knew who was there, we can't be totally certain that she didn't do something she wasn't supposed to do.
Each day since the call, I've asked her if something happened or if anything unusual happened. She has said, "no" each day. I don't know when the test will be, but it's some time this week. I really don't know what I'd have to be embarrassed about. It's not like I've EVER said, "well, my child would never do that." The principal said that he had no reason to suspect anything, but over the course of 4 years, everyone's name will come up. Also, a friend pointed out that if the school was worried, they probably wouldn't have even given me a heads' up. Of course, I can't say anything to Austen, but I thought about it (see reasons, above).
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