Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

My Problem With This

My problem with this is that if the sample questions in the paper were accurate then this whole thing is a fraud.

Have I ever woken up in the middle of the night wondering if I'd remembered to lock the back door?Yes! Have I ever gotten down the block and had to turn back to make sure the coffee pot was off? Okay. Do these make me compulsive? forgetful? or just plain careful? Do I really need expensive therapy and mind altering drugs? (My lovely friend Katelyn will certainly say yes but that's another matter)

Have I ever been paralyzed by fright? Well, yes but the Iraqis were firing heavy artillery at me at the time and then I frozen for only a moment. Where do I put the qualifier or explanation?

No, something else is going on here. Atruism is a false emotion; someone plans to make money out of this.

It Takes A Parent

I admire the fact that you were able to resist outside pressure, take a look at your child, roll up your sleeves, and do what is best for him/her. It takes a lot of guts to fend off the wolves and raise your child the way you determine is best.

You also give up some freedoms when you refuse offers of help. You don't get that warm, fuzzy feeling of being part of the crowd. I'll bet your child is being watched more closely as a result of your decisions. You also have to look harder and in more places for answers to the challenges you face.

People have asked me what the alternative to TeenScreen is, because ''we've got to help these kids''! I don't think the answer lies with the schools. Sure, if a kid is having difficulty in school, for whatever reason, the parents need to be told right away. Then it's up to the parents to do something about it. The parents need to spend time with their child, talk to him, listen to him, have dinner with him most days of the week, monitor his activities, and make hard decision. Parents need to do what you did.

Too many parents are abdicating their responsibilities as parents. Parents are on the go, kids are on the go, and family life is an afterthought. Too much is being pushed on the schools.

It could be argued that I don't know what it's like since my daughter isn't even 2 years old yet. It's a valid point. I hope I'm always able to keep family life as a priority. Some parents, like you, are doing it, and I'm optimistic than I can, also.

Being a parent

Katelyn and Sympathetic Reader,

Thank you for your support. I had always heard the saying that ?“It takes a community to raise a child?” and wondered where they got that attitude. To me, my parents and grandparents, it took a parent to raise a child. Let me clarify that at no time did PLSD attempt to prescribe medication but they sure recommended medications and that we see a professional prescribe. Many parents, due to lack of knowledge or other reasons accede to the advice of schools and ask their Pediatrician for the medications the school recommends. How do I know this? My Pediatrician told me so.

I can appreciate the fact that at least PLSD is trying. They do have a lot of kid?’s issues and the lack of parenting issues shoved on them. During my involvement with my kid?’s issues with them they said that. Some parents say that the schools spend more time with their kids that they do as parents so they rely on the schools to co-parent. I am concerned about the background information like the involvement of the pharmaceutical companies in sponsorship of either the program or their support of the people pushing the program. Kind of like the tobacco industry offering smoking cessation classes.

I hope that the schools set up a public meeting to openly discuss carrying through with implementation of this program. Again, that itself is a risk as we see how few people attend board meetings or stood up to run for board positions. You can?’t condemn them for trying and you can?’t condemn them for sitting by and doing nothing.

I totally agree with Mr. Keaton?’s posting. Matter of fact, I was just saying the same thing talking to a neighbor. I have come back home to make sure a curling iron or coffee pot was turned off. I have gone to bed and then got back up to check the doors were locked. Am I obsessive compulsive for doing so? Maybe and maybe it just makes me responsible, I don?’t know.

Yup

Jim,

Anyone who thinks I'm ''lovely'', and declares so publicly, probably needs to be medicated!