How Do You Tell Your Child Ghost Stories Are Just That: Stories?

Over the holiday, my family and I met at our normal halfway point in between Eastern Virginia and Western Tennessee. Also some friends of ours with their children came with us also. Smack dab in the Smoky Mountains we shared laughter and cheer but without my knowledge also some fear was shared between the children. During their nights of getting reacquainted with friends and cousins, the idea of telling ghost stories was brought up. Bloody Mary was mentioned along with a very unfriendly wolf.

What was once a pleasurable time of the day has turned into a nightmare. Instead of kisses and chimes of "See you in the morning," it has turned into dagger hugs and "Please let me sleep with you, I can't stop thinking about Bloody Mary!!"

As as child, I can remember the stories that were told between cousins and friends that would haunt my images before bed. Imagining a blood streaked woman with deranged hair would leap from the mirror and claw me until my skin bled was frighting to me. Instead of peaceful dreams of kittens and bubbly birds, haunting images rocked me from my sleep and then there was no way I would return to "night night" land. Instead, I would run to my parents' bed and hold fast to mom or dad's arms and wish I could remember the happy ideas before the stories of death and fear ached in my head.

Why do these stories continue? What is the purpose of exposing fear from one child to another, especially fear from things that are made up?

As a parent that has never dealt with these fears from her children, it's quite disheartening. If you have ever dealt with this, what was your way used to help ease the fears?

Is pot becoming more acceptable than cigarettes?

It seems more and more nowadays, cigarette smoking is going by the wayside. It kills you, makes your teeth stain, your clothes stink and gives nonsmokers the ability to give the "eat crap and die look," faster than taking a shooter at a nightclub. If the hike in price of the packs of twenty, thin, tobacco filled sticks doesn't get you, cancer will.

Growing up as a child, I remember everyone smoking. They smoked at work, in the car, at parties, in the bathroom... the list goes on and on. Children could even be sent down the road to pick up a pack of cigarettes for their parents. Choosing to smoke was the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. Or so it seemed...

In college, smoking was still seen as something cool to do. I can warrant even today in high school's across the country, a pack of girls and guys are lighting up to make their image more appealing. In college though, smoking pot was the "cooler" to do than smoke cigarettes. Groups of kids I knew only smoked pot and left the cigarettes alone. Cigarettes were become less popular too be seen toting around in your pocket or handbag. Rolling papers and crumpled sandwich bags of weed were the newest label for "coolness."

With society's push, along with the federal government and insurance companies help, smoking has become expensive and repulsive. Pot on the other hand has been given a new look through government and the older generation. We now no longer believe pot is as harmful as once believed and many question whether or not it is as harmful as tobacco. State after state have begun putting on their voting ballots legalization in some form or another of this plant. It's as if we are all wondering when it will be legal not if it will become legal.

Will pot be more acceptable than cigarettes? Will we rather our children smoke marijuana than tobacco at some point?