Remember the video posted on Gawker.com of Ardi Rizal, who at just two-years-old was smoking two packs of cigarettes a day? Ardi's parents didn't seem too phased by his two- pack-a-day habit and told the government, after they were offered a car if Ardi quit, he is addicted because he throws a tantrum if he cannot smoke, as stated in an MSNBC online article. Well, if you didn't think it could get any worse, it can, and this time it has hit close to Miami University's campus, and for some, close to home.
Monday, Sept. 13, WLWT.com reported police arrested a Springfield Township mother who had been accused of teaching her two-year-old daughter to smoke pot. Seriously? Not only did this 21-year-old mother provide her daughter with marijuana in June, but she also captured the event on her cell phone, according to the article.
Why would any mother want to expose an impressionable and developing child to marijuana, and on top of that, make it into an event that needed to be captured forever? Did she not think she would ever get caught?
It's hard not to think to myself in this situation, "Wow, there are just some people who should never be allowed to have children." I saw the video online and it was hard to watch. The little girl was standing in front of the television and she looked like a pro, holding the joint and taking puffs of it. You can hear her mother in the background giving instructions like, "Don't blow on it." The mother doesn't appear concerned at all — she even laughs and asks her daughter what the joint is, so it is obvious she is trying to teach her daughter.
This story made me wonder what else this child had been put through. What are other children across the country dealing with at home? Home is always thought of and linked to the idea of a "safe zone," but this example is a great reminder that it isn't that way for everyone. This story is also a great reminder of the fact that everyone in society isn't a privileged college student who is still supported mostly or entirely by his or her parents — it was definitely an eye-opener for me. Of course we all know there are people less fortunate than us, but sometimes it takes a few real life stories for it to truly hit us.
It's also sad to realize there are probably many more kids out there with parents exposing them to harmful environments and lifestyles. Children put into these kinds of situations are usually taken by child protection services and put in foster care. But is foster care really any better? John Hopkins University did a study that found up to 75 percent of foster children are sexually abused. I guess it could be argued foster care isn't really benefiting the child either. It's a sad realization to come to, but foster care isn't always a better option. At the least it may be a step in the right direction.
Every child deserves the right to grow, prosper and develop in a healthy environment. Not every child has that opportunity. However, there's almost some good that comes from this story. At least the video was found and turned in so the problem could be addressed. If the video was never found, we can probably assume the two-year-old would still be smoking pot with her mother's help. Now, she will at least get a second chance at a better life.
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