I never really understood what it meant, since my mother was loving, kind, and treated me and my sister with the utmost respect. Sometimes he doted on us a little too much, but he also made us believe in ourselves, thus transforming us into mature young adult women who pursue our dreams to the fullest. However, my mother would walk through fire to help us in any situation that might arise. Yet, when I looked at some of the older high school students I went to school with, I can't say the same for them or their parents. I had a friend in high school who was on the swim team with me and unfortunately she ended up dating the wrong man and got addicted to black tar heroin. I watched her parents fight to keep her sober and then eventually her parents took custody of her two children because two others were born addicts and died at an early age. She had been a beautiful young woman, successful in swimming and academics, but later lost everything in a moment of weakness. I periodically visit his parents and they ask me why this happened? I have no answers for them, since they were great parents, at least from my perspective. Addiction is not something you catch, addiction is a disease of the mind and body, from which some people never recover. Luckily my friend is currently in recovery for the last year. This is just a blessing of profound measure