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I hope yall have read the previous “Class # 7” blog. Writing these blogs 2-3 weeks after the class is definitely bittersweet. Sweet because I have better perspectives, better understanding and sometimes even newer discoveries. Bitter because sometimes I can’t remember what we actually talked about in class.

But after finishing that last blog, it all just came back to me right now. The class started with a very interesting survey. We handed out small pieces of paper to all the kids and told them to quietly and individually answer the question written on the board. The question on the board read “Do you or does someone in your immediate family consume alcohol on a regular basis?”

The results of this anonymous survey were pretty interesting…we had a dead split in the class. 50% of the class answered yes and 50% of the class answered no. And the survey was more for me just because I really wanted a better perspective on what sort of situations the kids face at home.

Why did I think this discussion was necessary to have? Because from the little experience that I do have, I know that 100% of my class WILL be or already has been faced with the decision of whether to drink or not and 50% of them probably WILL end up choosing to do so. That’s just how the world works. In very few instances will the child of a drinking parent decide NOT to drink and walk a different path, but that’s mostly not the case. And that’s simply because parents that drink have absolutely no right to tell their kid not to drink, that’s just textbook hypocrisy. So now put yourself in the shoes of that teenager….

Random friend from school: hey man, you wanna grab a beer?

If you’re not strong in your will and don’t already have an idea of what your do’s and don’ts are, what your principles are, then most likely… you’ll cave.

Parents that are drinkers will often make excuses for their own decisions and disguise them as life advice for their kids. For example, “yeah beta, It’s okay to drink, as long as you don’t get drunk”

-__________-

The bulk of the class was then spent in hearing testimonials from the students about their experiences with peer pressures in high school and in College. My two TAs are in college now so they were able to give the rest of the class some really good advice and insight into the college world and how to deal with peer pressures.

All this combined with the discussion on Mann Jeetai Jagjeet was what Week 7 was all about.

Word.