Question by Kate G: Should young children have contact with a severely alcoholic parent?
The other parent has been out of the house since our kids were newborn, 2yo & 4yo. Visitation was semi-regular the first year because I provided transportation, etc. Once divorce was final, ex refused to follow judges orders regarding treatment (parenting class, AA meetings, supervised visitation including sobriety piss-test).
Now our children are 6, 8 & 10. They’ve only heard from ex sporadically-a total of 3 times in 5 years. Now they’re asking me to find my ex so they can have visitation.
At what age do children have the right to choose for themselves? Or is it okay that I still protect them?

Best answer:

Answer by Tony M
No contact at all.

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Question by gypsywinter: Should children be taken away from any parent (unmarried or married), whether natural or adoptive?
if they are found to be addicted to drugs and/or alcohol? I noticed on another question that many thought that addiction should be grounds for immediate removal from the natural mother. What about natural parents that are married, single or divorced or adoptive parents who are married, single or divorced who are abusing drugs and/or alcohol…shouldn’t their children (any age) also be immediately removed from the parents as well? Is there a difference in regards as to who is addicted and who gets to keep their kids or not? If so, why or why not? Personally I think alcoholics are just as damaging to their children as any drug addict…it’s still substance abuse. Should all alcoholics/heavy drinkers lose their children as well to fostercare, should the occasional pot-smoker lose his/her parental rights as well? Should only absolute non-drinkers (of the alcohol variety to include beer), no drug use of any kind people, be allowed to parent? Who determines who is engaging in total drug addiction vs occasional use or the died-in-the wool alcoholic vs the social drinker? Is there a double standard for substance abuse for women vs men, i.e. the married husband is the alcoholic/addict, should his children be removed from his household? At what point do people believe that alcoholism/drug abuse is damaging to the children who live in these households…do we hold different levels of acceptability based on marital status, economic status, home owner or renter?
ETA: The Brain said: “”Love how you throw the poverty issue in — trying to imply that “poverty is a reason children are in foster care.”"
UH! Excuse me where did I write the above in my question? If you are going to quote me, please, at least quote me correctly and not *falsely*. Thank you!
Guess my question has been diverted to “poverty”..OK!

http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Fa-Gr/Foster-Care.html

“”Others maintain that the inadequacy of the child welfare system stems from its inability to address the primary issue contributing to child neglect, abuse, and removal: poverty. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of children in foster care are born into poverty and some studies show that the primary predictor of child removal is not the severity of abuse but the level of the family’s income. Critics noted that in the early twenty-first century the United States had the highest rate of child poverty of any industrialized Western nation and argued the income and social supports more typical of Western European nations, such as family allowances, government-supported day care, family leave policies, more generous benefits for single mothers and their children, would reduce the number of American children in foster care.”"
ETA: Guess I didn’t get my point across in my question. I heard women screaming for the immediate removal of newborns from addicted mothers…no 2nd chance…yet now I hear it a little differently. Chances? for whom..the married couple, the single mom..who rates more chances? I also attended AL-Anon and ACA for a number of years, my life as a child was an absolute nightmare..no matter, looking back I still wouldn’t have wanted to be taken from my own mother…never! Best thing in our family…her husband dropped dead suddenly on the kitchen floor when some of my sibs (their bio dad that had a fed gov’t job) were quite young, they were spared the worst of the worst, for that I was most thankful! We all have our tales of woe.

Best answer:

Answer by Aurora
I think too many kids are taken away from their parents too fast. If the kids are being hurt or neglected, someone should be there to help. If the kids aren’t being hurt or neglected, the parents should be helped with the kids there. Children, in my opinion, should only ever be taken away as a last resort, and only when in significant danger – but I know first hand that is not the case with the social workers (I am not at all addicted to drugs or alcohol – don’t even touch them – and never abused my kids, but still lost them because my Christian values – modesty, avoiding violence and inappropriate scenes and such in movies, and not wanting my kids told their wasn’t a God – were too high according to the social workers. They were 4, 6, and 10.)

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Best answer:

Answer by busymama
http://www.12stepforums.net/teens.html

this might be helpful…

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Question by ***********: how to deal with an alcoholic parent as a young adult?
I need help I am 19 years old and I have two sisters and two brothers all younger than me and my dad will not stop drinking I mean he drinks every other day before he would just drink in the weekends and now he even drinks in the week days am confused and I really need help with him this is harming the family so much my mom is going crazy with what my dad doing and so is the rest of the family.

My question is what can I do? I have tried everything I mean he will just not get it he will not even make and effort!!

I have been thinking about just moving out so I can get away from this but I know it’s not the right thing to do! Has anyone here gone threw the same and have any advice for me??????????
Thanks
where can i find family therapy or therapy for him?

Best answer:

Answer by Old Man
Try Alanon/Alateen

http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/

Don’t worry about getting help for him now– until after you know more about your role in the family with regards to his problem. This will all be explained to you in the above website! Now get on with it!

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Adolescent Growth Inc. provides comprehensive short-term residential in-patient, partial hospitalization, day treatment and intensive outpatient services for male and female youths, ages twelve to seventeen, which are experiencing emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties which are manifested in mood disturbances and substance abuse.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Best answer:

Answer by megan
psychological trauma
low self esteem
rebelliousness
bully at school
teen drinking
drugs
sexual behavior
i could go on.

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Best answer:

Answer by panda bear
Get in touch with Ala Teen, they may have something.

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Home Drug Testing, Alcohol Testing, Parent Education, marijuana, oxycontin, ecstasy, cocaine, meth
Video Rating: 2 / 5

1. OK, what’s up with the eyebrow thing? Dora and Boots have NO EYEBROWS, yet almost every other character, including many inanimate objects (trees, backpack, mountains, etc.) DOES have eyebrows!

2. Why doesn’t she just kick the Grumpy Old Troll right in the nads and tell him to get the hell out of her way?

3. Is it just me, or does Map sound an awful lot like Swiper? I smell a conspiracy.

4. Why does Tico always have that look on his face like he’s just coming down off a 3-day meth binge?

5. What’s up with the dumb highway engineers in Dora’s world? Can’t they build a road AROUND mountains, forests and other objects? Sheesh!

6. Why is Dora’s head 8 times normal size? And WHY DOES SHE YELL EVERYTHING she says? And can’t her mommy afford to buy her a new outfit every once in awhile?

7. How come Boot’s dad wears clothes, while Boots himself runs around naked, except for those wicked-hot red boots?
I’ve spent countless thousands of dollars and many, many hours trying to get to the bottom of these mysteries, and it’s left me a bitter, broken man… lol
What’s the matter, No Picture? Too many poly-syllabic words for you? Would you like me to hire a reading coach for you?
Shadow.. BWAHAHAHA! You’re funny!

Best answer:

Answer by Shadow Kat
1. During filming one of the many Target commercials in the early days of her career Swiper sabotaged her make-up thus causing her eyebrows to fall out, the director then made Boots have his removed at Dora’s refusal to look silly.

2. He is too tall

3. Map is actually Swipers twin brother who had a property reassignment surgery

4 i forget who this is,

5 the government that controls to land requires too many permits and inspection hours which would cut into the filming cost.

6. She was dropped alot, almost deaf and her mommy lives in Arizona with her 19 year old boyfriend

7. If he only wore a hat his name would be fedora

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Question by Dan: Is it legal for under aged kids to drink alcohol in their own house under parent supervision?
The person in question is 16 and want to try alcohol at home. She doesn’t want to go crazy and get really drunk but just wants to see what its like.

Is this legal?
Shredded i know what your saying but i would rather she trys it out that the safety of her own home instead of at some strangers house or something.

Best answer:

Answer by Sailon
No. Not a good idea-you may regret it for more than 1 reason.

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