<p>
Trust is something that has to be earned. And once trust is violated, it takes a long time to get it back. As I told my kids, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” </p>
<p>Thank heavens neither of my kids ever did drugs, but one of them did do something that violated our trust and broke our hearts. We all eventually got over it and moved on, but years later that kid told me that knowing we no longer trusted her, and knowing it was her actions that caused that, was the best deterrent. </p>
<p>Letting an un-trustworthy child think you trust them is quite frankly one of the worst things you can do to your relationship, because the child knows you should know better, and will lose respect for you.</p>
<p>It’s not my job to be my kids’ friend. Its my job to be his/her PARENT.</p>