Reply To: Going off the Derech

M.O. Chossid- You make a good point, that the teenage years naturally include rebellion to a certain extent, and that some of it is normal. But I wouldn’t call drug/alcohol abuse a natural part of growing up. Perhaps ‘testing the waters’ has some degree of normalcy, but who’s to say it will end at that, especially if someone feels angry, depressed, and rejected by his peers? I’m afraid the risk is higher for real damage. I only wish it were a phase he were going through, and hopefully some of it is. Perhaps if he made a connection with better kids, who aren’t black and white, it would help bring him to a better place. Maybe after a year or so, like you said, his anger will lessen, and he will able to see everything with a clearer head and with less pain. You said if I just let him do the things he needs to do, and that I’m 100% okay with it, he’ll remain a Ben Torah. But he needs to listen to the worst songs, watch bad movies, and hang with kids who walk around with a laptop, exposing him to the worst stuff. I’m 0% with it (wouldn’t any parent be?), and he knows it. Like you said, I am trying not to push any agenda on him, giving him time and space. Hopefully, that’s all he needs…