BE PROACTIVE

The tragic loss of a young teen to drugs is both horrific and
terrifying. We as a community must do everything possible to prevent
such a tragedy from occurring again.

There has been a fair amount of finger-pointing in the media towards
the town for not having enough recreation facilities. Yes, the kids
need more avenues for safe socialization but this job does not rest
solely on the rec department or schools.

The 'not my little Johnny, not my problem' attitude is irresponsible
parenting. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there are a many little
johnnies and johnettes dabbling in the drug culture. As parents we
need to take our heads out of the sand, open our eyes and educate ourselves.

We need to know the signs and clues that our child might be
experimenting or using drugs. Many, if not all, of our kids know
about the drug scene so we as parents should also. Do you have any
idea what a nike or pink tweetie is, or what they look like? From
what I managed to weasel out of my teen, a pink tweetie is one of the
types of ecstasy and a nike is speed, both of which are apparently
available locally.

We as parents need to know where and with whom our kids are hanging
out with and make contact with their parents. (One of my tricks is to
have my teen call from the home she is, not from her cell phone -
call display is worth every penny!)

We need greater communication between the schools and parents. The
schools have web sites, which should be updated with the current
calendar of school activities, clubs, newsletters, parent forums,
etc. If parents have greater knowledge of what is going on at school
they may be able to persuade their teen to be more active in the
school environment.

Entertainment and recreation facilities would be great to have
locally, but we don't. A shuttle bus to the Kirkland Colisee on
Friday nights would help get many kids off the street corner. A
service like this would be well used and it would give our kids some
of the independence and freedom they strive for. Likewise, a shuttle
to Rigaud for night skiing one or two nights a week would also be well used.

Social interaction between parents and the community patrol would
help open communication channels and help build the solid base we
need to help us raise our children. Perhaps a monthly casual social
activity for parents, community patrol, town council, rec department
staff, IGA staff (I bet they know a fair amount about what our kids
are up to on their lunch break). A parents night out might act as a
deterrent to some teens if they know mum and dad are on a first name
basis with more eyes and ears in town.

We as a community cannot stand back and make it someone else's job to
raise our children. Drugs will always be around but we can make them
much less appealing to our youth with communication, education,
recreation, and a proactive stance.

Jen Baumeister