# Parenting tips nobody ever tells you -- don't pay the babysitter in heroin **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 4, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339 "2009-11-04T22:31:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/1 "2009-11-04T22:31:42Z")
The baby accidentally overdosed, because he picked up a packet that was left lying around in the course of the transaction. He’s recovered and is now living with other relatives (permanently, let’s hope), and let’s hope there’s no lingering damage. But really, it just defeats the purpose of hiring a babysitter if you all then get high together. Story [here](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110303429.html). ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/2 "2009-11-04T23:08:07Z")
I like to think of myself as a librul but, uh… > [@](#): > > Fischl has at least two other young children who are also no longer in her care, Is it necessarily a good thing that we don’t consider sterilization as a consequence of determined irresponsibility? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/3 "2009-11-05T02:07:23Z")
The _Washington Post_ headline is good: **Va. parents charged with allowing baby to overdose on heroin** Parents are SO permissive these days. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/4 "2009-11-05T02:35:56Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > The _Washington Post_ headline is good: **Va. parents charged with allowing baby to overdose on heroin** > > Parents are SO permissive these days. I know, when I was 2 and I got caught using heroin, my parents kept making me shoot up until I got sick of it. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/5 "2009-11-05T09:03:08Z")
That’s nothing. My folks caught me cutting shipments with road tar and made me shoot the mix myself instead of selling it. I learned my lesson fast. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/6 "2009-11-05T15:39:34Z")
Back in the day when I was an infant, all we had to overdose on was alcohol. And we were glad to have it. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/7 "2009-11-05T15:51:00Z")
I blame the parents. If they had taught the baby the proper dosages, and more importantly respect, for heroin, it wouldn’t have overdosed in the first place. What are parents teaching kids these days? ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/8 "2009-11-05T15:54:42Z")
When I was 13 (months), my parents caught me smuggling cocaine in my diapers. Boy, did I catch holy hell. They sprinkled the whole bag on my strained carrots and made me snort it all through a straw. To this day I can’t stand carrots. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/9 "2009-11-05T18:20:10Z")
Think of all the sober kids in Africa who don’t have any heroin. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/10 "2009-11-05T18:35:42Z")
What the hell? Now I feel totally cheated. Back in my day, we only got paid in 40s of OE. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/11 "2009-11-06T00:47:45Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > What the hell? Now I feel totally cheated. Back in my day, we only got paid in 40s of OE. That’s if you were hired in. We temps got talls of Milwaukee’s Best. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/12 "2009-11-06T17:03:56Z")
Damn. Why does nobody tell me these things when the information might still be useful. My kids haven’t needed a sitter in years! (oh, and :eek: and :smack: and ☹ and :mad:) ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/13 "2009-11-08T12:56:26Z")
Just to make a parent’s life harder: If you’re getting off heroin, you can’t leave your methadone where the kids can find it. Every year a few kids taste someone’s methadone dose and OD as a result. You can’t use your methadone to make a cranky toddler “quiet down”, either. I saw a case report of that once; the kid quieted down all right, permanently. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/14 "2009-11-08T14:53:23Z")
on the other hand, if you pay the babysitter in heroin, you have a babysiiter every weekend. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/15 "2009-11-08T15:03:44Z")
Heroin is just a measly gateway drug anyway. I don’t understand the furor. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/16 "2009-11-08T23:26:05Z")
Don’t pay the sitter in heroin don’t use the sitter for prostitution don’t wall the sitter up in the basement cain’t do nuttin’ nowadays ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/17 "2009-11-08T23:35:32Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > don’t wall the sitter up in the basement Oops, _now_ you tell me. :eek::smack: Anyone got a sledgehammer? ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/18 "2009-11-08T23:40:40Z")
You could always go with khat or coca leaves as a light change of pace. And I can sympathize with feelings in favor of selective spay/neuter/release - just can’t see it where it wouldn’t be horrifically abused as a state power. Same deal as the parent license idea - can sound good in some extreme cases, but in the wrong hands … ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/19 "2009-11-09T01:20:47Z")
I thought this was a little strange: > [@](#): > > “It’s always disturbing to think that people would use narcotics in the presence of a child of any age.” As a medically recognized victim of repeated kidney stones, I don’t think any of my kids have _not_ seen me under the influence of narcotics, at least a few times! Still, WTF? I mean, I would think, as a parent, if I were interviewing babysitters, and someone approached me and said “I charge $12.00 an hour, or X amount of heroin”, I, uh, maybe wouldn’t have _hired_ them! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339/20 "2009-11-09T06:05:34Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > As a medically recognized victim of repeated kidney stones, I don’t think any of my kids have _not_ seen me under the influence of narcotics, at least a few times! I think there were speaking of not-medically-prescribed-for-evident-reasons narcotics. I’ve seen my mother pilled-up quite a few times, but “these painkillers they’re trying right now aren’t working well” is not the same as watching your parents shoot up. I think. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-tips-nobody-ever-tells-you-dont-pay-the-babysitter-in-heroin/516339.md?page=2)