Slippery

I asked around after the Dr. visit, and a lot of parents were unaware of probing questions, such as do you feel safe, or, have you had thoughts of hurting yourself lately, and what is your sexual preference. They remained unaware because they left the examing room before these questions were asked. They upon request by the nurse. I opted to stay.

A parental attitude of, if I don’t know what my child is doing and I hope the hell they are not doing what I did, then all is fine, just fine, is shortsighted. These parents are well-intentioned upstanding community members who choose to turn a blind eye, or worry privately about their children’s behavior and choices. Thinking that your kid is going to behave differently than you did is absurd. What we can do is be selectively honest. Telling a kid that you fucked the football team is probably too honest.

I would know if my son showed signs of being unclear of his sexual orientation. Possibly I am more sensitive, or maybe every parent can see their child. My point is, ask me that question. The unwillingness to share these questions with me concerned me deeply. The lack of transparency is dishonest and suggests that my authority as a parent is no more than a second party opinion.

I understand there are child abusers and unsafe homes. Some kids might wonder about sexuality, but my son has visited that office for 16 years. If there were an issue, I expect someone would have noticed. I would hope someone would have spotted behavior in me suggesting that I had thoughts of suicide. During a yearly exam, a stranger asked me if I had ideas of hurting myself. I have visited that health Center for ten years and openly interacted with doctors and nurses; we shared laughs and family stories, given a clean bill of health every time. In year eleven in a marriage that has only improved over the years, with four healthy boys and a thriving business, not to mention my improved blood pressure and physical appearance, I am suddenly going to harm myself?

The medical community is fighting a losing battle. Unless we address the systemic illness in our society, DHHS mandated bandits are not going to fix the problem or save the patient. Thinking that our government corruption can continue unabated and as long as we develop the next “feel good” pharmaceutical while unleashing Wall Street is akin to burying one’s head in the sand at the low tide mark.