I was cooking dinner one evening recently when my daughter popped the question. Mom, she asked, do you know what a lupper is?  I was puzzled, and told her I had no idea what it might be. It’s a drug, she said, and some of the kids at school have been talking about it.

My first reaction was this: Stay calm. So I took a deep breath and listened as my 14-year-old recounted the stories she overhears from some kids during lunchtime. Has anyone offered you drugs or alcohol, I asked. No. What will you do if someone does offer you a drug? Mom, I’m not stupid, I’m not going to use any drugs.  Sometimes kids can make drinking and taking drugs seem like something you have to do to be popular. I’m not going to do it, she said. 

I searched for lupper on the internet but could not find any reference to it as a drug. However, there was plenty of information about marijuana and other drugs. 

I took my daughter on a mother-daughter weekend over the summer and used some of the time to talk to her about the transition to high school and the pressures she would encounter to use drugs and alcohol and to have sex. It wasn’t our first discussion about these issues; we’ve been talking about them since she entered middle school. 

I cannot say how happy I was that my daughter reopened the dialogue about drugs. We’ll continue talking and I’m hoping that she won’t stop discussing the details of what’s happening in her teen culture. I’ve been hearing this message for years: Parents, talk to your kids about drugs and other issues. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. 

Are you talking to your children?

Related posts:

1. Taking time for girl talk
2. Teaching cell phone etiquette