Kiddy Porn

I love my nephew as if he were my son. Although I didn't produce him, his personality is eerily similar to mine at his age. He just turned 13 this past summer. Like me (at that age), he's goofy, laid back, and loves sports. As a result, we really connect. I get him. Unlike my nephew, however, I was heavily involved in extracurricular activities which enabled me to broaden my network of friends at a young age.

A couple of weeks ago, he came to spend the weekend with me. One of the things I appreciate about our relationship is that he's very honest with me. He tells me a lot more than I was willing to share with my elders at his age. Realizing that we have an open line of communication, I use that as an opportunity to probe about his friendships. The stories he has shared with me the past couple of years have been really disturbing.

One of the things I'm trying to help him understand is that his circle of friends will ultimately define his path in life. Knowing him, I can tell that my message hasn't completely resonated. I think he feels like he could keep being the neutral, or different, one in the crew. I've considered nicknaming him "Teflon" for this reason, just to make a point.

A good friend of his at school is sexually active, and he has been getting busy for awhile. This same friend got away with doing drugs in the cafeteria under a table. I'm not a big fan of this boy, but my nephew claims to not have many other options for friends. As I was trying to drop some knowledge on him about this friend, my nephew taught me an unexpected lesson.

Me: Why don't you get involved in a club or something? You need to do that stuff. I was involved in a lot at your age.
Nephew: There's nothing for me to join.
Me: Nothing at all? Come on.
Nephew: No. Seriously. There's nothing to do in my town. The closest Boys and Girls club is one town over and there aren't any buses that run out there.
Me: So what do y'all do out there for fun?
Nephew: Me? My mom doesn't let me go out, so I really just sit at home all day and play video games or talk on the phone. My friends do all sorts of crazy stuff. Actually, I have a story for your blog.
Me: Tell me!
Nephew: So, do you know what credit carding is?
Me: I think so. I mean, Nelly had a video about that. That's where you swipe a card down a woman's backside, right? Why?
Nephew: (laughing) No. So, you remember my friend, right.. The one I told you about who was doing drugs in the caf. He told me that he took his "stuff" and slid it up and down his girlfriend's butt. That's credit-carding...
Me: How old is the girl?
Nephew: Same age as him. 13.