There's a big difference between being a father and having a kid.
Do you have any kids, Jim?
Very, VERY true. It's not easy being a father. As I've gotten older, I've given my father a lot of credit and respect for what he did. he grew up not having a father. He only had a grown man who told him what to do and drank a lot. My father went into being a dad with absolutely no parenting skills at all. I think he did a hell of a job, but I also don't think he was perfect. I have no kids at this moment and don't know if I want one any time soon. I have a lot of flaws and issues that I need to deal with before becoming responsible for another human being.
The problem with society today, especially here in the US, is that we try and raise kids as though bad things don't exist. The proper way to do things is teach them about issues such as drinking, sex, and drugs and be honest with them. This way, when they come across these situations in their own lives they'll know what to do. If you hide this stuff from them, or completely lie about it, they'll find out on their own and realize that you were being facetious with them. Then, you can forget about any level of trust with them.
When I was growing up, my parents never talked to me about drugs or sex. Probably because I was pretty self aware as a kid and read up on the subjects when I was only 6 or 7. The one thing they did was they always asked me if I understood what I was reading and knew the consequences. They realized that they couldn't stop me from having sex or doing drugs if I wanted to. Instead, they made sure that I was aware of what I was doing.
I used drugs a LOT when I was in college. All the DARE programs or "Don't Do This" talk meant nothing. The thing is all the information, truthful information, I received while growing up kept me from doing really stupid thing. Doing drugs wasn't smart and it's part of my life that I kind of regret, yet appreciate at the same time. Still, I was raised to be aware of what was going on and what i was doing and I never did anything that put my life in general. I understood what was happening and what could happen. Sadly, there are many out there who haven't been able to do this.

(On the bright side, I have been absolutely clear and free of drug use for over 5.5 years now.

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