Parenting by pills. That is the phrase that got stuck in my head after working at an affluent community center frequented by young boys. I found out that 12 of the 13 boys were on drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
I was appalled because the boys were not on the drugs during the summer, yet I had no problem controlling the group. When I asked them why they took the medicine, all of them told me it was so they behaved in class and didn’t disturb their parents at home.
It’s scary that we as a society, with our McDonaldization of industry and personal wellness, have also produced parents who look for a quick fix for their kids. And then those kids go to college thinking they need a quick fix for everything. And they’re willing to share that fix with other students on their residence hall floors or rooms.
I’m not talking about people who need drugs like Ritalin to self-regulate. Activity in the frontal region of the brain helps with problem-solving, planning and understanding other people, and in impulse control. It’s important to improve the quality of life for people who have issues associated with that region of the brain.
However, using pills instead of trying other methods first can lead to other problems as a person reaches and surpasses adulthood.
People exchange pills like kindergarteners exchange silly bands. It is a silent college epidemic that is dangerous because it affects chemistry in the brain. When students take those pills from someone else and use them simply as a crutch to make them focus or study, they end up with an addiction and not a skill set.
During the ‘90s, we discovered more about certain drugs that can help small populations of people. There was also a downfall to that: The misuse of prescription drugs are a result, in part, of poor parenting. But it’s mostly a reflection of a society that wants instant fixes. François de La Rochefoucauld said, “It is not enough to have great qualities; we should also have the management of them.”
Self-discipline is the best gift we can give ourselves, and there is no other time than the present to cultivate it.
