SUBSTITUTING DRUGS FOR GOOD PARENTING

President Bush wants to spend billions of our dollars to teach children to
say no to drugs, but every day 4 million parents are forcing drugs down
their kids' throats. They are told, "Don't smoke pot, it is bad for you,"
but "Here, Johnny, take this Ritalin so you can make it though class
today." Isn't this a little contradictory?

There are cases in which parents have no choice but to give their children
drug therapy, but these instances are few and far between. Too many parents
are substituting drugs for good parenting. We need to figure out why so
many children can't control their behavior, and not just mask the symptoms
of much bigger problems.

Could one of these problems be that these kids have been in day care their
entire lives and they want a little attention from Mom and Dad? Another
might be that we place too many pressures on them at school. There are
schools in Cumberland County that ask grade-school students to stand in
line and be quiet all day and when they can't, they take away their recess
and put them on drugs.

We can't teach children that drugs will hurt them and then give them
similar products. They will be more apt to try drugs, such as Ecstasy, if
they have been high on Ritalin since they were six. We need not waste our
taxpayer money on a problem that can be solved with better parenting.

Sandi Carroll

Fort Bragg