Despite the potentially dangerous side-effects of Ritalin, public school authorities now pressure many parents to give Ritalin to their children so these kids won't "act up" in school.
Naturally, most parents don't want to drug their children just because they are unruly, bored in class, or high-spirited. However, compulsory attendance laws force parents to send their children to public schools. Just as school authorities resort to compulsion to get their students by force, so they apply the same compulsion against children and their parents to pressure parents into giving Ritalin to their kids.
How do schools pressure parents? They threaten to expel the child, hold the child back a grade, put the child into a special-education class, or threaten the parents with prosecution for child abuse.
Here's one parent's story:
"Hello, my name is Bobby B. [last name withheld for privacy], and that little boy you see above [in a picture in the article] . . . is my pride and joy. The picture was taken on Halloween when he was 5 years old and he was already on Ritalin. He was put on Ritalin because the local school district informed us that if we did not put him on medication he would be removed from school. In fact his first year was a nightmare from the start."
"Kindergarten is supposed to be fun and enjoyable for the child. However, Christopher had the teacher from hell and she made his life miserable. He could do nothing right and at the end of the school year she was going to flunk him out of her class. . . . Christopher's teacher thought he was nothing but trouble, too hyperactive, too hard to manage and she wanted nothing to do with him. This was the start of our own nightmare and our introduction to Ritalin and ADD. For the next 8 years our little boy was on this medication because without it he would not be allowed to continue in our public school system. . . ."
"My wife volunteers at the school in the office area weekly, and she has told me of the hundreds of kids that are on Ritalin and other medication. They line up every day to get their medication in order for them to stay in school, and attempt to do their work in a drug-induced state."
"About 12 months ago we were told to put Christopher on Adderall and that this medication would work better and would last longer. The side effects were the same, dehydration, loss of appetite, growth limitations and violent mood swings, and the fact is that no one knows what the long term effects on your children's health will be. We did as the Doctor advised and he has been on Adderall since."
"Any time Christopher has a bad day in school, the teachers want to know if he took his medication for the day. You see, once a child is labeled ADD or hyperactive, it stays with them, and it's locked in the teachers' minds. Thus if the child has a problem, it must be that he/she did not take their medication. I am sure this goes on in public schools all over this country and parents like us have no choice or our choices are very limited. If you want your child to stay in school, Ritalin or Adderall is their solution to any and all behavioral problems."
Here we have an example of school authorities not tolerating normal children who might be having a "bad day" or want to express their anger about something. As adults, we all have such bad days and we all get angry occasionally. But because public schools are like mini-prisons that require "order" and "discipline" to function, children are expected to conform to the rules. They are not allowed to have "bad days" or express anger. Hence school authorities must pressure parents to drug these children to make them passive.
Christopher's horror story is repeated again and again in public schools across the country. Parents, if public school authorities are pressuring you to give your children mind-altering drugs, alarm bells should be going off in your head. You should immediately consider taking your child out of public school and homeschooling him, for your child's sake.
Joel Turtel is the author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children."
Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Email: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Phone: 718-447-7348.
Article Copyrighted ? 2005 by Joel Turtel.
NOTE: You may post this Article on another website only if you set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com
Criticism is punitiveOur children judge themselves on the opinions we... Read More
There's a new trend for party entertainment. It seems as... Read More
You can learn a lot from children.The best part of... Read More
Wooden toys are one of the best alternatives for the... Read More
Many years ago, my children were raised on the various... Read More
MYTH: All teens have to rebel, and the teen years... Read More
A common theme over the past 20 years has been... Read More
Did you know that you are the most important person... Read More
When you're a parent it's a difficult decision to know... Read More
'Whose room is it anyway?'If you have a teenager, you're... Read More
Life is comprised of pieces of time sprinkled with pivotal... Read More
Once upon a time there was a beautiful bird whose... Read More
At first I thought of titling this article "The Lazy... Read More
Prenatal intelligence, also known as fetal intelligence, has become a... Read More
Q: My husband and I are at a loss as... Read More
What is a parenting problem?Parenting is a tough job, we... Read More
If you ever walk through an orphanage, it will be... Read More
If your parenting methods include abuse of any kind; physical,... Read More
Child tantrums are a way for children to express their... Read More
Although many parents are concerned with our children's intelligence quotient... Read More
As a parent your biggest responsibility is to prepare your... Read More
How should one look upon Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)... Read More
Sitterphobe "I never have a second to myself," this mother... Read More
It was a day that I will forever be etched... Read More
Just a couple of years ago Annie helped her parents... Read More
insured cleaning company Morton Grove ..What parents of a teen haven't wondered where their sweet... Read More
Arabella Greatorex, owner of The Natural Nursery, reports on the... Read More
Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant... Read More
One of the most difficult parts of being a father... Read More
1. They can make mistakes under your guidance2. They will... Read More
Thank you for all that you do in the classroom!... Read More
Ever feel like you're out of the loop when it... Read More
Q: Our son has been in honors classes all through... Read More
How many times have you flipped through the pages of... Read More
So you want to be a mum? Every time you... Read More
Part of the responsibility of being a father is to... Read More
School authorities often complain that classes are too large. They... Read More
As Mother's Day approaches I would like to give a... Read More
Seven-year old Michael was on a school trip to a... Read More
'I felt great until I walked into the classroom -... Read More
I recently heard a story that has literally changed the... Read More
When kids try new things, sometimes it's a 'fit' and... Read More
Anyone can become a parent; there are no tests or... Read More
Last week in my newsletter, I mentioned that... Read More
"Where did he come up with that?" Kids often amaze... Read More
1. Create... Read More
Before going further into choosing computers for children, I believe... Read More
Diagnosing children and teens with ADHD can be a challenge.... Read More
Although it's hard to say when the first stuffed dogs... Read More
Successful parents have learned to be both firm and kind... Read More
Parenting |