Pigs Don't Smoke

1.  Porter comes home every day from school with a folder containing papers and art work.  A couple of weeks ago there was a book mark in there.  It had a picture of comic book characters on it, with the slogan "super heroes don't use drugs or alcohol."  Porter asked me what it said, and after a few seconds I told him "super heroes love to read!"  I felt bad about lying instantly, but it was a total gut reaction.  And I was a little annoyed with his teacher for putting me in that situation in the first place. 

2.  Porter came home from school another day, and I asked him what they learned.  He said that the counselor taught them about poisons.  Sounded okay to me.  In Porter's rendition, one of the lessons involved looking at pictures of pigs' stomachs.  He said one was pink and healthy and one was black from all the smoke.  I asked him, really, the pig?  How did the pig get smoke in its stomach?  He looked uncertain.  From cigarettes, I questioned?  Yes, he said.  Hmmm.  Clearly, lesson well learned.

These two things, while really no big deal to Porter, have lingered obnoxiously in the back of my head.  I have no big issue with the anti-drug message in general.  Of course I don't want my kids to use drugs and smoke.  And I do plan on talking to them about these things.  When it makes one lick of sense.  Which just isn't now, in kindergarten.  While we have talked about smoking, he really doesn't get it.  And he wouldn't understand at all about drugs.  And, we have alcohol in the house.  And we "use" it in front of the kids.  And I'm totally okay with that.  But it's a confusing message to send to a five year old.  One that's hard to explain, and one I don't feel needs explaining right now.

I worry about my kids a lot, and I'm sure I'll worry about them a lot more in a few years.  But right now, I'm glad this is one thing we haven't reached yet.  And I wish the school would stop making it come all too soon.