You know I’ve talked about a lot of issues in the past. I’ve argued for points that most people don’t agree with, and believe me you’ve let me know. I’ve covered topics that some of you don’t even care about, and I thank you for listening. But I’ve been thinking about something lately that I don’t think any of us can afford to ignore.

It’s a concern that some of us won’t have to face for a while yet, but I believe it at least deserves some thought now. How do you raise a drug free child in today’s society?

I can hear you now. “Please Gina, I have enough trouble passing my classes and you want me to think about kids?” Well, I understand life’s pretty tough, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to ignore the future.

Did you know that the majority of kids begin trying alcohol and drugs at approximately age eight? That’s grade school, folks. Statistics show that these same children are addicted by about age 10 and get admitted to treatment units somewhere between age 12 and 15, depending on the family’s awareness and concern.

Today’s children are missing their childhood, and some are never living long enough to see their high school days. What ever happened to Barbie dolls and Tonka trucks? Who is selling this poison to our youths, and how do we stop it?

Parents have begun using the approach of giving their children “space.” They limit restrictions and allow their kids to make many of their own decisions. This sounds good in theory, but often times these parents end up losing their children to the infinite world of choices and possibilites, of which drugs is one.

You’ve also got the parents who try to protect their children from all the evil in the world. They use leniency as a privilege and instill strict values through discipline. These parents more often than not lose control of their children first. These kids rebel, and wind up resisting all rules and giving in to all temptations and peer pressures for the sheer fact that they know they are doing something they shouldn’t.

Then there are the parents who fall somewhere in between. Out of pure probability, at least 50 percent of these families fall into trouble. Couple all this with other factors like the increase in children from divorced families, decreasing educational standards, poverty, child abuse and, well, you get the picture. It’s getting difficult enough for children to grow into adulthood unscathed, but add drug abuse and the chance is virtually impossible.

I’ll be the first to admit that the present condition scares me to death. It seems that raising children with love and good values just isn’t enough anymore. It’s like one big gamble. You play your cards using good judgement and careful planning. You watch how others around you are playing and modify accordingly. But when the cards are finally laid on the table, odds ultimately determine who wins and who loses (although gambling buffs might care to differ.)

The present situation doesn’t appear to be making any drastic changes, so it looks like it’s up to us to make the difference. An incredible amount of anti-drug campaigns are in effect and, God willing, something has got to work. If not, what is to become of America. After all, the future of our race (the human race) and our countries are in our hands.