[RedCell]

Have you considered pulling him aside and having a one-on-one with him? That would allow him the opportunity to "save face" without getting your parents involved.

Knowing what I know now, I would be all over this like white (or brown, depending on your preference) on rice. The last thing you want to see is this escalate to something really serious.

For instance, my niece was involved with a boy and they got busted for pot possession (they were both under 16). Over time, it got to the point where some more serious drugs were involved. Well, guess what... the boy is dead now due to an overdose. I didn't do enough when the signs were hitting me over the head and I'd hate to see anyone else go through that, especially if they have an opportunity to step in and do the right thing. There's nothing worse than going through the woulda-coulda-shoulda stuff when it comes to your family or friends.

Ok, off my soap box. Just my 2 cents. Take it for what it's worth.

[ClearCase_guy]

You've got it right.

I got into some trouble when I was younger (I was older than 13). I got in with a bad crowd, I did bad things. The changes in my life were unmistakable, but my parents never sat me down and tried to set me straight. I wish they had. I suspect that they didn't know how to do it, didn't want to damage our relationship, or something else.

I eventually got straightened out, but I lost a good 10 years, wasting my time doing things I shouldn't have been doing. I was quite lucky things didn't go worse for me. Two of my friends died -- and even their deaths did not help me see the light. My wife is the one who rescued me.

Adults should sit kids down and have a talk when it appears that the kid is going wrong. It doesn't have to be angry or confrontational. But to "look the other way" is to make a terrible mistake. At 13, I don't think the kid can fix this by himself. He's young enough to get into trouble, but not old enough to have tools to dig himself out. He needs help.

[mtbopfuyn]

There's nothing worse than going through the woulda-coulda-shoulda stuff when it comes to your family or friends.

Here, three teens who had myspace accounts recently died. After looking through the pages, I find it appalling their parents didn't have the sense to step in and stop some of the behaviors they bragged about. Those behaviors turned out to be the cause of their deaths. If only the parents had bothered to look through the pages, I suspect the kids would be alive today.