Auntie Charo's Soapbox

A seventeen year old boy, a child, really....was supposedly(cuz he said he wuzn't guilty and he ain't been tried yet) 'huffing' some spray cleaner for computer keyboard/et the like spray that's cheap and readily available at Cost-u-less for tuppence......used while joy(don't know if that's in the new generation dictionary) rode with his 19-yr-old friend in Tumon and drove right onto a tourist while she was on a side walk just a few feet away from the safety of being inside the Outrigger Hotel . The Toyota truck had to jump the side walk to hit the woman and kill her, end her dream and that of her husband to come to Guam and enjoy a trip, build lifetime memories....instead, the husband has had to return to Japan with his wife's remains in a sealed aluminum case with memories that will keep him awake for the rest of his life. He will be fill with regrets of ever wanting to come to an island only to end the life of his wife.
Some reports say that the boy may have 'blacked' out while he was driving. Supposedly, this happens during 'huffing'. Since I don't know the process, I can't tell you how you can drive and sniff spray cleaner and drive at the same time, let alone pass out while making a turn onto a hotel. As well, this boy is said(alleged) to have caused a couple of accidents on the same road before he killed(alleged) the tourist.
I've had the opportunity to speak to a few youngsters since I've been back and have been shocked to learn that kids as young as those in the 5th and 6th grade are into 'huffing' white out, rubber cement and glue, not to mention butane which I've discovered is not available for sale to those under 18. I didn't know it was even for sale anymore since most lighters are disposable. I wondered if my two children ever 'huffed' the stuff while they were doing their homework and I didn't know about it, but thanked God that they did their homework at the dining table while hubby and I prepared the evening meal so we would have 'sniffed' the same stuff they were 'sniffing'.
I am troubled that children at such a young age have to escape from the realities of life using 'huffing' as a method of escape early on because it's easy to get. What is it that they're running away from? Is it divorce? Is it family violence? Is it the bad economy, daddy not having a job, daddy or mommy being on Ice? What is it that's causing our babies, yes, they are that, to run away from our arm and into the arms of the devil and his chemicals and what are we doing about it?
Are we caring so much for ourselves that we're not paying attention to the needs of our children that we're driving them to spray cans and white out? Some readers will say that this happens everywhere and that it's not just a Guam problem. Perhaps so, but that it's happening here means that it's happening to people that we know, people that are our neighbors, perhaps members of our family, or, perhaps, our friends and if we help them, then we're helping ourselves because crimes will decrease and lives will once again be safe on the sidewalks and streets without them.