In this episode of Don’t Screw Up Your Kids, nurse Verna Boyd shares what she has seen from the medical side of teen drug use, vaping, and substance exposure — and why parents cannot afford to ignore it.

From nicotine addiction and vaping-related lung injuries to marijuana’s impact on the developing brain, this conversation goes beyond headlines and into the real health consequences showing up in hospitals, clinics, and emergency rooms.

We talk about:
• Why vaping is not harmless for kids
• What “popcorn lung” really is — and what it does to the lungs
• How nicotine and THC affect the developing brain
• Why “supervised use” at home increases risk instead of reducing it
• The danger of normalizing alcohol or drug use with teens
• Warning signs parents often miss
• What to do if your child is using substances
• How untreated anxiety, depression, and learning differences can lead kids to self-medicate
• How parents can create protection through connection, boundaries, and early intervention

This episode is not about fear for fear’s sake — it’s about giving parents the information they need before small choices become lifelong consequences.

If you’re a parent, caregiver, or educator, this is a conversation you need to hear.

In this episode of the Don’t Screw Up Your Kids podcast, I’m joined by Aujanee Cosey—one of my former students from Sacramento High—who is now a single mom advocating fiercely for her 3-year-old son after he was diagnosed with autism.

Aujanee shares the early signs she noticed, especially speech delays and sleep struggles, and what it was like being told to “wait” at multiple appointments while her concerns kept growing. Things intensified after moving to Houston, when her son was kicked out of two daycares, forcing her to push harder for answers—not just for peace of mind, but so her child could finally access the services he needed.

She breaks down the realities families don’t always talk about: waitlists, costs, co-pays, missing work, and getting handed bills instead of support—and why she ultimately decided to move back to California because the resources and systems felt more realistic and more humane.

If you’re a parent noticing differences and feeling dismissed, this conversation gives you practical advocacy language and a clear message: stop tiptoeing. Say what you suspect. Document everything. And make them prove your child is “fine.”

Why Are You Making Everything About Race?

That question comes up a lot—especially from parents who are trying to do the “right” thing and don’t want to confuse, scare, or divide their kids.

In this episode of Don’t Screw Up Your Kids, we slow the conversation down and actually unpack that question.

Because the truth is: children are learning about race far earlier than most adults realize—often before parents ever say a word. And what kids learn doesn’t come only from schools or social media. It comes from observation, silence, culture, systems, and the way the world responds to who they are.

In this episode, former educator and parent Kaleesha Washington breaks down:

• When children become aware of race (by age and developmental stage)

• The difference between culture and race, and why culture usually comes first

• How race enters a child’s world when culture is questioned, judged, or punished

• Why different families talk about race at different times—and why that matters

This conversation includes a nuanced, age-based look at how race and culture are experienced across communities, including:

• Black families

• White families

• Latino/Hispanic families

• Asian / Asian Pacific Islander families

• Native American / Indigenous families

Rather than treating race as a political issue, this episode centers child development, parental leadership, and lived reality. It challenges the idea that silence protects children and explores what silence actually teaches instead.

This is not an episode about blame.
It’s not about shaming parents.
And it’s not about telling families what to think.

It is about helping parents understand what is already shaping their children—and how to stay present, grounded, and intentional instead of reactive later.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Are my kids too young for this conversation?”

• “Am I making a big deal out of nothing?”

• “Why does race keep coming up?”

• “What happens if I don’t say anything at all?”

This episode is for you.

Because parents don’t lose influence all at once.
We lose it when we stay silent while everyone else is talking.