Children see the world in a completely different way than any other people. They are
innocent, naive, and lack an understanding of how the world around them really works. Adults, on
the other hand, are wiser and able to think logically. The major difference between children and
adult other than their age and size is that children do not know the concept of responsibility, respect,
being parents, drugs, sex, or death. These concepts are generally only experienced and seen in the
adult world. However, it is not always the case. Baby, a young girl and the protagonist of Heather
O’Neill’s novel Lullabies for Little Criminals, is exposed to the adult world from the very start of
the novel. Through Baby’s initiation to drugs, lack of censorship, and wish to become young again,
the readers are able to decipher warnings from the author.
First of all, Baby’s interest in drugs was the first step she had taken to the adult world. Even
though she was young, Baby already had knowledge of drugs which is clearly demonstrated when
Jules and his friends wanted to go buy heroin after her birthday celebration. She said that “Jules
and his friends had been calling heroin chocolate milk for years. They did it so they could at least
pretend [she] didn’t know what was going on.” (10) Despite her early knowledge of heroin, she
never showed interested in it. However, when Jules went into the rehabilitation center and met
Oliver, Baby was tempted to consume drugs out of jealousy: “As I walked out into the evening, I
wished that I was on drugs too. Oliver was a junkie and so he had more in common with my dad
than I did. They would be eating dinner together in their stockinged feet. Just like they had known
each other from the day they were born.” (71-72) This passage shows the ignorance and naivety
of children. They would do anything to get what the want, ignoring the dangers and consequences
of their actions. In Baby’s case, she was willing to risk getting addicted to drugs in order to be able
to relate and be with Jules, like Oliver. Then, when Baby actually tried to get her hands on drugs,
she said something disturbing, “Usually you get drugs from the crowd that you hang around with.
But I was twelve and none of the people I hung around were into drugs. There were simply no cool
kids my age.” (74) Baby used the word ‘cool’ to describe people who were into drugs. This reveals
a problem in today’s society. Children believe consuming drugs and smoking are ‘cool’ because
they see those as things only adults are allowed to do. Being or acting like an adult by doing drugs
or smoking would, therefore, make these children ‘cool’. This explains to adult readers one of the
reasons why children in real life may want to consume drugs or smoke. Additionally, the word
‘cool’ is also used in the term ‘cool kids’ that is frequently used in schools, where the ‘cool kids’
are usually the ones who are into drugs and smoke, which is another problem: the need to belong.
To be able to join the ‘cool kids’, another child would have to get into drugs and smoking in order
to be able to relate to that group. This statement is also supported by the following passage, where
Baby tries to look cool by smoking a cigarette: “I decided to turn in a couple bottles at the corner
