Children of meth using parents

[u/texasinauguststudio]

I am working on a story where a pair of children (about 10 years old) have parents using meth and these kids are found by a sober adult.

My questions are;

1. What are behaviors the children would exhibit?
2. Assuming the kids are neglected and have trust issues, how could an adult try to reach the kids.

Edit: This a short story, and a kind of reverse "Hansel and Gretel" - namely, the kids are better off with the witch. So the people (i.e. the "witch") who finds the kids isn't a foster parent, and the story doesn't have a lot of space. But the suggestions below are good.

[u/Dramatic_Ad_5347]

Reminds me of Breaking Bad when Jesse helped that kid of two meth addicts. The episode is called Peekaboo. I felt like that episode was pretty well made and moving too. Jesse's approach was to be playful with the kid to gain his trust. He also tried to shield the kid from witnessing the parents in their intoxicated state. He was kind of helping without playing the big hero. The kid was very quiet and cared for himself beside his young age, so he was rather independent.

[u/Obvious_Way_1355]

Question, did the mother use meth while pregnant? Bc that can also have its own effects on physical health and development, as well as psychology—potential seizures, stroke risk, brain damage, struggle to recall words, struggle to ignore irrelevant information.

But if she was able to stay sober during the pregnancy and relapsed after, then they would still have a lot of trauma from being neglected. I heard of one woman who grew up eating very strange combinations for meals because her mother always cooked high. So real food would probably be jarring at first. I’ve heard that foster kids will hide food in their rooms and stash it for later bc they’re not used to knowing when the next meal is or food being withheld. You might be interested in reading manuals for foster parents.

[u/texasinauguststudio → u/Obvious_Way_1355]

No. The background is the mother has passed, and the father started using with his new girlfriend. So the exposure for the kids didn't start until they were 7 or 8.

[u/Obvious_Way_1355 → u/texasinauguststudio]

Okay, I see I see.

Then I would read manuals for foster parents, listen to the stories of some foster children—especially those whose biological parents are addicts. Getting some insight from adults who were children in those situations might help.

[u/Blondenia]

Many neglected children become hyper-independent and tend to overfunction as a survival mechanism. Pretty much any normal, helpful adult behavior would help these kids trust an adult.

[u/Bubblesnaily]

They might have trouble adapting to homemade foods, being accustomed to fast foods or shelf-stable packaged foods. They also might have tendencies to hoard food in their room.

Look for foster parent training materials.

[u/IndividualPark1234]

the children would likely display confusion, sometimes depending on the situation they would still hold love for the parent, especially when not around the parent they might be seen as a bit of a “hero” because the child is unknowing of the truth, that is generally kids under 5. either extreme behavioral issues or they are extremely afraid to act out. every meth addict is different, it’s very situational.

adults would likely create a comfortable distance, kids might struggle accepting a new parent, with the belief their previous parent would recover. a good movie i would reccomend to learn more about it is instant family, not sure if the mom is a methhead exactly but it does show a mom as a drug user and the children struggling to join a new family, and the adults learning ways around the struggles and though them.