ASK THE TOUGH QUESTIONS, KEEP TEENS ACCOUNTABLE

It's one of the first lessons a student learns when beginning course study
in journalism. The first paragraph of each story should include the 5Ws:
who, what, when, where and why.

But the same lesson taught by every journalism instructor is also good
advice for the parents of teenagers, and there's a new public service
advertisement on television right now driving the point home.

As parents, we can't be afraid -- in fact, we are obligated -- to ask our
teenagers the 5Ws: Who are you going out with? What are you going to do?
When will you be home? Where are you going? Why are you going there?

Requesting answers to those questions is not an invasion of a young person's
privacy. Rather, it's simply important information for parents to know as
they help their children remain accountable for their actions.

Getting answers to such questions is especially relevant in Los Gatos, given
recent events in the community. Of course, there was the well-publicized
drunken driving accident during Thanksgiving week that tragically took the
life of Los Gatos High School student Eric Quesada. But there was also the
incident on the Fisher Middle School campus last week when six students --
one of them just a 12-year-old -- were cited for possession of marijuana.

Police discovered marijuana, rolling paper, pipes and other drug
paraphernalia in the possession of a 13-year-old student who was already on
active probation.

Teen drug and alcohol abuse may not be of epidemic proportions in Los Gatos,
but it is of enough concern that a task force of school administrators, town
officials, civic leaders, therapists, parents and students are meeting now
to look at solutions to the problem in the community.

The effort is noble, and the project is worthwhile. But we need to do more.
We need to take a deep look at the fiber of the families involved to
determine the source of the community's problem.

When editorials and letters in this newspaper started pointing some fingers
following the tragic Thanksgiving week accident, readers were critical about
any attempt to place blame -- these were good kids from good families.

Well, the Fisher students are likely all good kids from good families, and
they were found to be in possession of drugs on campus -- at a middle school
no less. And one of them was not a teenager at all but just a 12-year-old
child.

To think that this is the first time that drugs have ever appeared on a
middle school campus or that a task force will come up with a solution to
the problem of teen drinking is simply naive. But the time has come to get
serious and ferret out the source of the problem.

It's time to ask the tough questions: Who provided the drugs to these
children? Where were their parents that they allowed this to occur? Why is a
12- or 13-year-old seeking out drugs in the first place?

We can't solve the problem without getting a few answers. And asking our
children the tough questions is not invasive -- it's simply good parenting.