 By Libby Johnson February 23, 2006
I can still remember those who started smoking in the third grade, sleeping in the 7th - and not to mention stuff being passed around in the school bathroom, having kids or becoming wife beaters, wannabes by the 10th grade. Kids milling around with their pagers at the arcade at the plaza (not to date myself). Of course, there were those kids who were so suffocated at home by parents being overly protective and not letting their kids do anything, which of course led to drug abuse as well. Those evading responsibilities as parents should be held responsible by the community for some of the problems of the youth. Those who do everything in their power to be good parents, to be there for their kids, encourage them to seek positive interests should be shown kindness and understanding from the community when their kids make bad choices such as drugs. Growing up in Ketchikan, I found no problem in finding things to do. I was active in Girl Scouts, volunteered at the soup kitchen and other fundraisers that benefited the community, not to mention over 300 hours of on-air volunteer time at KRBD. If you lived here 10 years ago and regularly listened then you knew my voice. I went on to college. Today, I work as a Account Executive and call on VPs, Directors and CEOs of small business to larger corporations. Some kids are bad by nature and will always find opportunities to make bad choices that will affect the rest of their lives no matter what parents try to do to stop it. No matter what, there will always be a problem with drugs but that percentage can go down if parents encourage excellence, their interests and talents. Libby Johnson
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.
|