ak Dear Editor: While visiting the Vancouver area on vacation I hapnened to hs read the North Shore News of » Nov. 1. A headline of that par- i: ticular edition read WV parents : told that youth have cocaine, sex Problems. It was with interest 1 read on. The article quoted Carol Munro, an education researcher and CBC broadcaster, as saying, ‘‘Parents are the root of the problem.”’ As a parent of four children, I take ex- ception to this kind of blanket statement. I am also the mother of a 16- year-old son who is a recovering alcoholic and drug ddict. My son today is doing well and has over two years straight and sober. I was a stay-at-home mom, went to PTA meetings, my kids were all involved in Cubs, Brownies, piano, track and field, swim teams, etc. When things started to ‘‘go wrong”’ with our son we had a ma- jor denial problem from schools, principals, social workers and doc- tors. Having raised three other children prior to our youngest and Dear Editor: Bravo to the writer of the letter to the editor Parents must take re- sponsibility for kids. 1 am a Blueridge resident living in a new subdivision that borders on the infamous ‘‘sand pit.” On a Friday night we have up to 100 local teens (aged 14 and up) gathered in the pit. They arrive with liquor (drugs, too, I’m sure), often drinking as they walk down the street — many drive. Quite honestly, | am fed up. The noise is deafening and the language disgusting. I find it offensive to have boys urinating on the street (in mixed company) and defecating in houses /SYLVAN WILL. with only two years between each of them, ! knew that my youngest son’s behavior was not just ‘‘nor- mal adolescence.”’ It took us two years to identify our son's problem and to seek help through a parent support group. We continue to be involved with a parent support group and in our son’s recovery program. We've come to realize the root of the problem for our son as with so many others i; not just the parents, the neighbort.ood, the schools, ihe churches, the professionals, but is all of these in combination with the individual’s cwn character and physical and emotional makeup. The availability, cost and attrac- tiveness of drugs in today’s society makes it easier to get started. The most effective program that any community can undertake is to recognize this epidemic and attack the problem from the young per- son’s perspective. This can be done by way of education at the earliest possible fevel, frank discussions and more education between our educators and parents or guard- ians, and, most importantly, sup- port for peer counselling and sup- port groups for those who choose Parents must be responsible under construction. Recently a girl passed out on the street and began to choke on her vomit. Our mail boxes have been broken into, things taken out of yards and fires set. I wish I could say these were not local kids, but they are our children, and the cars they are driving off in are ours. The police are here almost every weekend. They say there is little they can do — most parents, the police say, don’t care. Police are often reprimanded ty parents if they take a drunk teen home. I guess it'll take an alcohol- related death before someone does care. Name Withheld NM Take positive action to help your child or teen © make this year a success. At Sylvan we q specialize in bringing out a student’s full SORE HO CTCANMES potential. We test in order to pinpoint the M specific areas in which your child needs help. Reading ® And we attack the problem with an in- | dividualiy designed program. ¥ motivation, friendly encouragement, an experience of suc- cess right from the Study Skills and = in- dividualized atten- Algebra tion makes all the difference. Sylvan Learning muses Centres : Helping kids do better | North Shore 985-6811 Richmend 273-3266 Start Positive Math Writing E1989 Sylvan Learning Corporation Coquitlam 941 Neopets : No one element responsible : for teenage drug problems to stop using mind-changing chem- icals, So the sooner we stop blaming any one element and start to pro- vide an avenue for our young peo- ple to handle this problem in their lives then the sooner drug and alcohol abuse will be put into perspective as one of the many challenges confronting our young people in making life’s choices. Name Withheld INTRODUCING Ti. tna PERM SPECIAL $3995 (reg. $50) (offer ends Dec. 9/89 Open Mondays MONA LEE HAIR DESIGN 988-5821 3124 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver DRAPERIES B*. S. LAUKSEN 7 - Sunday, December 3, 1989 - North Shore News 988-6321 Kenneth J. 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