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"A Family Tradition for 127 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 7,1993 - 7 Letters to the editor Not an easy job being a parent From Page 6 way. At one time you got disci- plined at home, at school and then there was the army. Socie- ty on the whole is failing these young people. The peer pres- sure 1s tremendous and all young people, want to belong whether it is for the good or for the bad. From the time our two sons were old enough we enrolled them in Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, soccer, hockey, swimming les- sons, guitar and singing les-- sons. We took them camping, to all parts of Ontario, to Florida on several occasions. They learned a lot from these trips. We also took them snowmobil- ing in the winters. I'm sure most parents can relate to this. Then came the teen years and that magic age of rebellion with it. He or she knows they don't have to live under the same roof as their parents when they turn 16. They don't have to abide by our rules. Why? Because the law made it easy for them. They can kiss you goodbye and go col- lect their first beautiful cheque called Student Welfare. Now I believe it's updated to Student Assistance. That money comes from you and me the taxpayer. Our control of raising our children has been taken away. ~ Even the control in the schools has gone by the wayside. Al- though there are a lot who don't want to admit it. There is no more respect and its about time we all take a stand and bring it back. Overhaul the school sys- tem. Screen all teachers, keep 'the truly dedicated ones and get rid of the ones who are a pay- check grabber and not a student caregiver. Give the responsibili- ty back to the adults, the teach- ers, the parents. Make sure these kids are taught proper mannerisms like yes sir, no sir, yes miss, ms., mrs., and please and thank you. Society has to accept the blame for what our children have become. It's a hard job be- ing a parent. You use every trick in the book and every ounce of strength that a parent has, to get a troubled son or + daughter back on the right track. It's a challenge of all chal- lenges. Sometimes it's thank- less and sometimes it's very re- warding. Sometimes marriages fall apart and sometimes they grow stronger. I really believe that a good so- No need for snide remarks To the Editor: No matter what Susanne Neale meant in her first letter - it did not read that way. In fu- ture, with a little thought, she should write her second letter first - but PLEASE - leave out the snide remarks concerning Tom Millar and his wife Cathe- rine. They are contributing a at deal to the community, without renumeration) both in opportunity for talented kids and enjoyment to those who can attend the wonderful perfor- ces. "1 feel gorry that Susanne's gensitive, caring, informative letter was ended in such a mali- cious way. Joy Hull lution to this problem is through work. The government should have a work program en- forced by law that each and eve- ry capable child, when they reach the age of 13 has got to contribute so many working hours per week to their commu- nity, towns or city. There are so many jobs to be done that they wouldn't have time on their hands to get into trouble. Apples have to be picked, strawberries, farmers need a lot of help, seniors need help, the disabled, grass cutting, snow . shovelling, the list goes on. So many of the homeless could be fed by what's left on the trees and on the ground. Another job would be to go to the shelters and help prepare a meal for these people. These teens should not be paid in cash either. The govern- ment should pay at least half of their wages into a student tui- tion plan. The rest should be banked under a supervised plan for when they actually need this money for schooling or full time employment. It would pay their auto insurance, gas or just transportation for those who do not drive. If they need spending money, let them help around the home and earn their worth. A study program should be brought into effect one hour be- fore school starts and one hour after their school day ends. This way all students will get quality studying time needed to im- prove their grades. Then the parents will know the home- work is being done. With so many parents in the workforce this would alleviate the arguing and the battles on the home front. Being a parent who has been on both sides of the fence. I believe that these are good -gound solutions, that far out- weigh a good slap in the chops and four weeks in a reform school. These only add more vio- lence to an already troubled so- ciety. : Put the respect back where it belongs. Take the violence off the big screen and don't allow anyone under the age of 19 to rent a violent video. These teens and much younger children are brainwashed with violence. Have you ever sat down to even watch a cartoon? Even the com- mercials are going insane. Like . the woman holding a bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume and she says to her man: "I Hate You." Just what kind of message is that? It sure won't sell me on the perfume. Being a parent is a very hard job, but we all do the best with the knowledge and the skills that we've been granted. I'm sure your Millar Lights is a wonderful source of involve- ment and entertainment, but it's not for everyone. It's like be- ing a doctor, not everyone is cut out for that job either. The same goes for parents. Some are good, very good, bad, very bad, but not one of us is perfect. The majori- ty of us are just trying to do the best we can, after all we're only human. We all need to work together to gain our control back. To see that our children of the present and of the future get a sense of deep respect, understanding and self worth of themselves and others around them. Once they gain that, they will have respect for everything else. Just remember parents, all of the teens you see hanging around, well they belong to someone and that someone is you. Please get involved be- cause the problem won't go away on its own. Trust me, I've been there. P.S. The two programs I would like to see enforced are: A Government Enforced Work Program for Teens; A Home- work Study Program for our schools a.m. and p.m. . I need people to help organiz the petitions. You don't need to be a parent. Any caring, respon- sible adult could help out and I cannot do this alone. Let's show this man that we can get off our backsides and really do some- thing for our youth. This is a "plug" for us and our teens. Carol E. Sturman, P.O.Box 1177, Seagrave, Ont. LOC1GO 1-905-985-7722 How to get your driver's licence, without tears. It can be this simple. First, find a kid in your class who's taken the Young Drivers of Canada course. (And we don't mean driver's ed!) Then, have your parents talk to that kid's parents. 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