Having raised two fine children, and having no grandchildren, I find myself wanting to adopt the children of others, to kind of fill the emptiness left when my kids moved on with their lives.

Dan, I don't envy you the challenges before you. With the ever present threat of drugs and the fact kids want to grow up so fast these days, you have your work cut out for you. I would love to share my insights with you, as one who came up hard but overcame my past, but the forums are probably not the place to do it.

Put simply, my advice would be to hold your daughter close and be sure she knows you are always there for her, e.g., she can always talk to you, about anything. In other words, do your best to keep the lines of communications open. I would also suggest you err on the side of strictness. In today's world, too much freedom can be deadly, IMO. Always know where she is, when she'll be home and who she's with. Give her boundaries and make sure she stays within them.

When my son entered his adolescent years, I sat him down and told him, before there was a hint of a problem, that during the next few years he would undergo changes and that there could be conflict between us. Then I assured him that I loved him and would not let him do anything that would be harmful to him. I told him I'd take care of him during these troubled times and all he had to do was trust me and do as he was told. He seemed to take this well and there were no surprises for him. When he got out of line, I reminded him of this conversation and set the boundaries.

Hold her close and love her, because all to soon, she'll grow up.