' Just a little Taste . . . '

Energy drinks . . . they’re everywhere now. My kids have friends who pound these things through the day. Did you catch that part – my kids . . . have friends who . . . These are mere teens (pre-teens actually) who feel they NEED these things to get through the day. Amazing.

Now before I begin this rant – for that is what this part will definitely be – I will admit to my own vices – I have a few that I cannot seem to shake – habits that I had started long ago that while I say that I am working on finding ways to break them, I obviously don’t WANT to give them up just yet (another insight all together). So, without wanting to give the impression of thinking that I am holier than thou – I get it – things are hard to shake.

What concerns me are the ever-increasing growing trends with these supplements. Ours is a society that spends tons of money on ways to make our lives EASY . . . then spends the remaining money on ways to ward off the effects of BEING lazy. Seriously – if you sit long enough for the commercial breaks – you will see the one ad for the robot vacuum (because WHY SHOULD YOU have to clean your home?) and then several following ads on weight control items and work-out equipment. Because our society has put themselves in such a state with horrible eating and excercise habits MANY feel as if they cannot make it through the day WITHOUT added boost. Mere CHILDREN now feel they cannot do the same and they are getting hooked on these drinks which are not good in large doses.

Do we really NOT SEE the stupidity in all this? But I digress . . . the whole point of this entry was to share how EASY it is to fall into a trap.

My son has literally been HOUNDING me, to just TRY some. There’s something I wanted to say about him at this point – that even though I know he is not perfect and will probably try other things, I was pretty impressed that he listened for the most part on this one. We went round and round one day on WHY I didn’t want him to even TRY IT.

His argument for trying – ‘But if you let me just try it, I will know and not want it anymore’.

My argument for NOT trying it – ‘But when you TASTE it – you will know what all the fuss is about and will WANT more because it’s harder to SAY NO to yourself once you’ve tried it.

When we rounded this discussion for the 20th time, I finally said – why do you think the message for not using drugs is JUST SAY NO? He said – ‘but that’s different because DRUGS are bad for you’. I said – yes but so is THIS – it’s just accepted by the public as NOT BEING BAD.

Hmmmmmmmmmm . . . . when you break something down, you know?

How many things in our life do we KNOW to be ‘NOT GOOD’ but yet we open that door – just a little . . . just a taste . . . . I can stop. I have grown to recognize what my vices are and have to honestly admit that I still allow for times when I just want to be weak. I can also admit that I know there are reasons why I shouldn’t even start and have gotten much better at recognizing what I shouldn’t even TASTE, as I recognize it to be something I know I would want to continue. Progress is a good thing.

Regarding the energy drinks with my kid – we ended by doing an experiment. I pulled into a convenient store lot and allowed my son to run in and buy one of those cans – I could see that he was just too bent on trying and wanted him to be under my supervision to discuss things. This was the progression of his experience:

Initial reaction - one of excitement: “I can?!? “
Then – doubt: “Are you sure – I won’t if you really don’t want me to”
(He returned after making the purchase but hesitates)
Reaction from purchase - Observant: “wow – this small can cost $$$$$”
Hesitation again as he cracked the can open and smells it.
Reaction - one of realization: “ wow, it smells good“
Hesitation as he sips . . .
Reaction - again one of realization: “it actually tastes good, Mom . . . “
Decision: “ I don’t really want anymore . . . “
A few minutes goes buy . . .
NEW DECISION – with another sip: ‘ It does taste good, though . . . ‘
Contemplations as he put his eyes down – almost like he didn’t want to look at me.

I asked him a few questions:

How many of these cans did you say your friend drinks during the day? (shocking answer)
How much money do you think he spends daily? (shocking answer)
How is his energy level after a few hours? (he is the most tired of all his friends)

My son realized that what appeared to be a great thing is actually the beginning of many future problems. He realized that the experience was not as grand as he had imagined it to be. And finally, he now realizes what he has to say NO to – which will be harder.

Oddly enough – the flavor that he tried . . . GREEN APPLE.

Know your limits . . .