Funny, Wait, Not Really.

[BrokenolMarine]

We have two families that come to pick up fresh cow's milk once or twice a week. Molly gives about 3 gallons a day, WAY more than we can use. We don't sell it, so we have a couple friends that can use it. The wife of the one friend can't drink processed milk. She is a school teacher and usually comes by with her two teenagers on the way home from teaching. They have a farm just up the road from ours.

Tina told her we had a new Donkey and if you talk to him, he talks back. I made the HeeHaw sound. The son, a quiet kid who rarely says much, grinned shyly. I said, "Remind you of your friends at school?"

I told him that when I went to school in the 70s, we had "Hippies" who barely talked as well. Their brains were "Fried." I knew one kid who only said one word for the entire time I went to school with him... it served every purpose. "Dude." Think Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

If I said, "Went to Virginia Beach this weekend and the Babes were smokin hot."
He'd say, "Duuuuuuuuude" with a big grin on his face.

If I said, "Mike, how'd you do on the test?"
He'd look down and mumble, "dude," then shake his head and walk away.

Here comes the sad part....

The Teacher's Son looks at me and said, "About half the kids at my school Vape so much that when you talk to them and they try to answer all you get is a fist in front of their mouth and a series of coughs..." He demonstrated... "Their lungs are toast and they haven't even graduated."

[fortyshooter]

Yes that is a sad situation for most of our youth. There are still some out there who have good common sense. Due to my allergies cigarette smoke would clog my sinuses and I couldn't stand to be around it for long so I got thru the years with no smoking.

[BrokenolMarine]

As a kid, I was always around my relatives smoking and drinking... I swore that I'd never start. Never did. Made it hard for me in the Corps back then, not drinking. Every new squadron they thought I must be a Narc. After a few months, they would understand, but it always took a while. Then, they were glad to have me around. I was the designated driver on liberty.

[Redthies]

The problem is that the tobacco companies told everyone that vaping was a safe alternative to smoking, and mostly kids are the ones who fell for it. Turns out it’s far worse than smoking…

[clovishound]

I remember back in high school, we're talking the 70s. When we would run track in PE, you could always spot the smokers. After a hard run, they would be the only ones on the sidelines puking.

[BrokenolMarine]

I remember high school in the 70s; we had a "smoking area" for students outside the cafeteria. They were restricted to one end of a large patio, and non-smokers hung out at the opposite end of the patio. Nice picnic tables to sit and read, do schoolwork or chat with friends. The tables in the smoking area were covered with burns, and nicotine stains. The patio at that end always covered with butts. (Even though ash cans were provided.)

The Vice Principal, (Dean of Students,) used cleaning the smoker's area as punishment for smokers assigned to detention, especially if they were caught smoking in the bathrooms, hallways, or any other banned areas. He would also assign cleaning that area to any known smoker assigned to detention because he didn't like the way they acted in that area. Funny thing, back then school administrators actually had power to do things.

[GeoBoy]

Yes that is a sad situation for most of our youth. There are still some out there who have good common sense. Due to my allergies cigarette smoke would clog my sinuses and I couldn't stand to be around it for long so I got thru the years with no smoking.

It is sad, because parents aren’t parents, instead of focusing on the children that they brought into this world, they focus on themselves.

[dave77]

Neither of my parents smoked but I had aunts and uncles that did so I always had the desire to try it. It wasn't hard to sneak a few, just wait until everyone else went into the dining room or kitchen for Supper and there would be a pack or two laying around. Just about everyone I hung out with starting in Junior High smoked so I got an early start. Smoked for 48 years and even though I quit 8 years ago I'm paying for it now with my COPD.