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Bush family can help us learn
© St. Petersburg Times If you have children, you know they can bring you moments of pure joy. If they've grown beyond toddlerhood, you also know they can bring you deep sorrow as well. If you've ever been called in the middle of the night, you probably also know that good news rarely comes to you after midnight. If you have teenagers and have never gotten a call in the middle of the night, consider yourself blessed. Gov. Jeb Bush got such a call this week when his 24-year-old daughter, Noelle, was allegedly caught trying to get a phony prescription filled at a Walgreens. It is every parent's nightmare. Politicians react in various ways. Some circle the wagons and deny that their child did anything wrong. Some try to hide whatever has happened from public view. You can understand why when you see the frenzy that arose around Noelle's arrest. Others simply admit the child was wrong and let them suffer the consequences. It's hard to say what the right decision is. I've seen children whose parents repeatedly bailed them out of trouble grow up to be good citizens. And we've all seen the reverse. Bush got ahead of the bad news with a statement expressing his deep sadness and admitting that it "is a very serious problem." "Unfortunately, substance abuse is an issue confronting many families across our nation," Bush noted. "We ask the public and the media to respect our family's privacy during this difficult time so that we can help our daughter." Hundreds of e-mails poured into the governor's office offering advice, comfort and prayers. Many of them were from parents who have suffered the same sort of anguish. Some were from people who have overcome addictions. A few were from parents whose children died of drug overdoses. It was an outpouring of anguish from people who have been there. I suspect the first reaction of the parent of a child who has been arrested is anger. How could the child I raised do something so stupid and so wrong? Many people who have never had children are convinced that any child they might have would never do something bad. It's always fun to watch someone who has been rather sanctimonious about the sins of other people's children once their own child begins to act up. As sad as this experience is for the Bush family, it also offers an opportunity to help others by setting an example and sharing it with Floridians. No doubt that would be hard to do, but the letters the governor receives indicate that there are hundreds of people out there in similar straits looking for a way to deal with the problem. Some parents are at wit's end after repeatedly trying to deal with drug addiction. They could use a little help from someone like the governor. Bush and his wife, Columba, have spent a lot of time supporting drug treatment programs. They've been up front about the reason for years. Both admitted that one of their three children has suffered from a drug problem. They didn't identify which one, but it has now become obvious. Think how many women who live in the public eye have called our attention to breast cancer. Lives have been saved because women such as Betty Ford, wife of a president, and Mary Brogan, wife of Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan, shared their experiences. Think how much more we know about Alzheimer's because Ronald and Nancy Reagan shared experiences. Or look at how many people have done something to help them detect colon cancer because Katie Couric agreed to share her experience even after her husband died of the disease. The governor is in a unique position to share with other Floridians who are having the same experience. Perhaps some good can come out of a bad experience.
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Times columns today Lucy Morgan Gary Shelton Sandra Thompson From the Times State news desk Lucy Morgan |
