Dear Parent

Dear Parent,

I tried to save my son, Niko, from alcoholism/addiction. In this day and age, that’s nearly impossible, especially when he came home and said, “So and so let’s us drink and smoke pot at their house, what’s wrong with you, Mom.”

My parents let us party at their house. They thought they could keep us safe. We told them we did it only on special occasions. What we didn’t tell them was that waking up constituted a celebration. They basically gave us their permission to do whatever we wanted, whenever and wherever we wanted.

Niko, my beautiful, intelligent, generous and kind son had everything to live for. But because some adults think it’s ok to let children party at their houses, he was able to obtain alcohol. And it killed him.

I go to bed crying, I wake up sobbing, and I think about him all the time. Worse yet, I have a recurring nightmare. Some boy goes to a “cool” parents house, drinks alcohol, gets in his car, drives down the road, and hits my daughter, killing her.

Sandpoint lost two wonderful young men this year to alcohol. I have signed a pledge stating that I will stand for teenagers excellence and serve them snacks, juice, and soda pop at my house, and that I will not allow them to drink or drug on my premises. I urge parents everywhere to take a proactive stance, to be positive parental role models and to join me in this pledge.

Sincerely,

Desire` Aguirre