Proverbs13:24
7 Apr 2006
The FDA has approved a patch for children to wear who suffer from attention deficit disorder. The patch called Daytrana secretes methylphenidate into the child’s system for nine hours. Methlphenidate is the same ingredient that is in Ritalin, the more popular drug used to tranquilize today’s hyperactive little rascals. According to Medco Health Solutions, 3.3 million American children are presently being treated with drugs for attention deficit disorder.
Although many people will be surprised to hear it, there was a cure for attention deficit disorder back during my childhood. It was worn by your father, however, not by you. It was called a belt. My dear old dad’s belt could instantly heal me of my attention deficit, as well as hold my attention for however long it was required.
Of course, present-day parenting is quite a bit different from the way it was in pop’s day. Today’s parents have been enlightened by the likes of Dr. Spock. Consequently, they’ve put up the rod (belt) and broke out the Ritalin. In place of spankings, today’s parents give their kids pills and patches. No longer is the firm hand of a loving parent needed in the proper upbringing of a child; instead, all that’s needed today is a filled prescription from your local pharmacy. Why, after all, should we go to the trouble of disciplining junior when we can sedate the little darling and leave him staring at the television for hours?
In spite of the fact that today’s parents are supposed to be so much smarter than yesterday’s, it appears they’ve made a major miscalculation in the upbringing of their children. By substituting stimulants for self-control and opting to use drugs instead of discipline, today’s parents are pointing their children to a life of drug dependency. If children learn from us in life’s most formative stages that drugs are an answer to their problems and a surefire shortcut to desired emotions and behavior, then what’s to prevent our offspring from falling prey to substance abuse? As long as we tell our kids, “Say no to drugs, but don’t forget your Ritalin,” something tells me our kids will never take us seriously.
Don Walton
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