End of Summer Brings on Back to School Daze
This is the time of year when parents experience one of the true mysteries of life – a sort of U.S. version of the Changing of the Guard – known as Sending the Kids Back to School. Finally accustomed to the semi-constant company of their offspring since early June, parents suddenly find themselves handing over their little munchkins to complete and total strangers dubiously described as "teachers," who were, I rationalized, secret agents employed by the CIA bent on molding our progeny into future taxpayers or even scarier – members of Congress.
Doesn’t Your Stuff Deserve a Second Chance?
Most of us, perhaps all of us, can think back to a time when we needed a second chance to get something right. Whether it was a first attempt at love, a driving test, or a term paper we wrote over, we needed a second chance to get things right. Heck, even the national pastime doesn't record an out on the first strike - they give each batter three. So why is it that we are so quick to throw our personal possessions away at the first sign of wear? Doesn't our stuff deserve a second chance too?
Survey Reveals Teen Parties Awash in Drugs Even While Parents Are Present
My son started his first year of high school Tuesday, a few days after the results of the annual Back to School Survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. This year's report highlights a huge disconnect between parents and their high school age teens, with parents in denial over what their kids are facing when socializing at parties. Joseph Califano, Jr., the executive director, says the "self-delusion and lack of awareness of these parental palookas (sic) put their children at enormous risk of drinking and using illegal and prescription drugs."
