Stupid Adult Tricks

By now you probably heard about the dangerous craze that is sweeping the country.  The  “Tide Pod Challenge” involves people jokingly feasting on the colorful laundry detergent capsules.  The challenge is to hold the pod in your mouth as long as possible before spitting it out.  Not surprisingly, most of those who take up the challenge are teenagers.  Until recently removed, there were dozens of videos on Youtube of teens taking up the challenge.  Let’s be clear; the pods are poison.  Swallowing even a little of the acid in the pod can burn the esophagus, stomach, and cause damage to the lungs.  Spitting them out even comes with a risk.  The acid can burn the skin. 

We should not be surprised that teens would try such a dangerous activity.  Risky behavior and teens have always gone hand and hand.  For starters, teens are not wired to make good decisions.  And, peer pressure is constantly an issue.  Put a group of teens in an unsupervised situation and all kinds of behaviors are possible.  We can point fingers at Tide for making the pods look like candy, but it really it is not their fault.  They are in the business of selling detergent.  The colorful pods are a marketing gimmick, and they do come with a warning on the label.

During my decades of working with teens I learned to never be shocked.  Just when I thought I had seen it all something new would come along.  As previously stated, I could understand kids making poor choices.  What never ceased to amaze me were the stupid things that parents did: drinking too much, texting while driving and yes, even using the Weedeater without goggles.  All of those are “at risk” behaviors.   Alcohol and power tools all come with cautions on the label about the dangers that accompany their use.  Texting and driving has become illegal in most states.  Still adults who really should know better continue to ignore the warnings.

I think we could all do a better job of making good choices and setting better examples when it comes to our behavior.  We also need to do a better job of discussing the dangers of at risk behavior, and then supervising our kids.  The reality is, even if they know the dangers that does not guarantee they still won’t try it.  We need to remember that we are the adults and the kids will always be kids.