Overtime: This Is Their ChildhoodOvertime: This Is Their Childhood
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu and Marissa unpack bodycam footage of a nine-year-old who turned in his mother’s meth, using the story to talk about how addiction steals childhood and fractures trust. They speak candidly about parenting, law enforcement, and why building a genuinely safe, sober home matters so much for kids.
51:54•19 Apr 2024
“This Is Their Childhood”: Addiction, Parenting and a Brave Nine-Year-Old
Episode Overview
- Substance use in the home can rob children of safety, trust and a healthy childhood, even when they don’t speak up immediately.
- Children often notice more than adults realise, so denying obvious drug use can deeply damage their sense of reality and trust.
- Parents choosing recreational substances are also choosing to give up some availability and responsibility to their families, whether they admit it or not.
- Law enforcement responses that include empathy and reassurance are crucial when children are involved in drug-related situations.
- Teaching kids to advocate for themselves and identify safe adults to contact can be life-saving in homes affected by addiction.
“The thing that we don’t really understand, people, is that when you have young children in your home and there is substance use happening, you are stealing their childhood.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This overtime chat on Addict II Athlete zooms in on one shocking story to ask a bigger question: what happens to kids when substance use takes over a home? Coach Blu, a licensed mental health therapist, and Athletic Director Marissa Robinson, a certified recreational therapist, walk through bodycam footage of a nine-year-old boy in Las Vegas who handed police a large bag of meth he found under his mum’s nightstand.
As they pause to comment, you’ll hear them unpack the emotional weight behind simple lines like, “I found it on accident,” and the way the boy quietly corrects himself to say the drugs were left “on purpose.” The conversation keeps circling back to one key message: “This is their childhood.” Blu and Marissa talk about how children in addicted homes end up carrying adult-sized responsibilities, from hiding drugs to calling for help when parents won’t.
They highlight how easily a parent can gaslight a child – insisting “I don’t do drugs” while the evidence is literally in the child’s hands – and how deeply that damages trust. They also look at how the officers handled the situation, praising moments of compassion while wishing they’d reassured the boy sooner that he’d “done the right thing.” The legal outcome is discussed only as far as it’s reported: probation, relapse, and a move to inpatient treatment.
Alongside the case, Blu and Marissa speak directly to parents in recovery (or thinking about it): if you’re using substances with kids in the home, you’re not just risking your freedom, you’re trading away parts of your child’s only childhood. They urge families to build strong, sober home teams and teach kids to speak up when they feel unsafe.
If you’re parenting around addiction – yours or someone else’s – this conversation might hit hard, but it could also be the nudge that changes a family’s story. How are your choices shaping the childhood happening in your home right now?
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