Prozac Nation

His teacher had diagnosed him with some attention deficit He didn't conform to her rules to be quiet and just to sit

I had the chance to listen in

between a teacher and parent

The teacher told the mother "Dear

your son needs help, that's apparent"

 

She suggested that the mother

visit a doctor that she knew

One who'd give him medication

to control the fits that he threw

 

His teacher had diagnosed him

with that Attention Deficit

He didn't conform to her rules

to be quiet and just to sit

 

He was no different from those

that all of us knew growing up

Acting unruly like a dog

who doesn't know he's still a pup

 

But now we claim this is disease

though that seems but only a ploy

To make a common worker bee

of what once was a little boy

 

Time out is what we do to them

when our children all misbehave

It has about the same effect

as master becoming the slave

 

A child who won't sit still in school

is no more or less of a joy

In my day they were not called sick

what they said was "he's just a boy"

 

Tate

Author's Note

Some of the parents who listened to doctor Spock in the 60s and 70s.Those who tried the kinder gentler approach to raising little Henry. Are now held hostage by their unruly children. So thank you doctor Spock for everything you didn't do. And for all the answers you professed to have but really never knew. Now the public schools want to discontinue the teaching of cursive writing and spelling . As they see it why do we need them anymore? However they also told us we didn't need the phonics that they discontinued back when children could read? The schools got one thing right. Why try to teach children to write if they can't even read? I would truly be interested in knowing just how many parents have been told by teachers that their children need medication. So if this is the case I would like to take a poll. Tell us all how many of you there truly are. Is this just a way to manage overflowing classrooms? When was it we gave teachers the right to diagnose medical problems? In years gone by we would have thought that an affront. It is truly out of their expertise. But I hear over and over that that teachers recommend certain doctors to make sure the children are medicated. If this is not the case tell me. I could be wrong . However it seems it would be more productive to fix the broken schools. Instead of saying the children are broken.

Reviews

[roarke]

ADD is an alphabet soup designer condition. I could speak volumes here. People, teachers, parents, society of this era look for the magic bullets... there are none. It's not one thing, eureka! and here's the one pill. It's a life time of things, ALL THINGS WE DIDN'T DO, but heaven forbid it's OUR fault.

A diagnosis of ADD works in the favor of institutions and pharmaceutical companies, not the children. It's all gibberish. If you think you have a child with ADD or ADHD, do these things first.
1. Turn off the electronic stimulation and spend time with the child.
2. Make sure his psychotropic chemicals are balanced by a good uninterrupted nights rest.
3. Make sure he gets PLENTY of physical exercise, whether it's sports, chores, or physical hobbies.
4. Be aware that ADHD behavior can be caused by a wide range of conditions, like food allergies, bad bacteria in the gut, ANY processed food, food coloring and additives.
5. Many symptoms of ADD can also be matched to characteristics of low spectrum Autism like Asperger's Syndrome.
6. Some of the characteristics of ADD are due to lagging cognitive development, where the child is not as mature for his chronological age, a 20 y/o acting like a 15 y/o for instance.

None of these things mean there's anything wrong with the child.

these just to name a general few. But no one knew these things in the days Tate is writing about here. Back then most of the things, problems I listed above didn't exist in our home life culture. Be ware the changes for convenience or having to make MONEY and don't short change the kids.

I know, I have a child like this. It's difficult, but it's not about pills, it's about lifestyle. Change it.

Parents brought their children into this world, it's not the responsibility of Sesame Street, baby sitters, Day Care, schools, psychiatric institutions to RAISE those children. Your child is a direct reflection of YOU. If you want a change in your child, change YOUR lifestyle first.

We're a society of pills, let's not make that the legacy for our children. Doing the right thing is always light years harder than just looking for a magic bullet.

[xRetroCortx]

I find this very easy to relate to because many have tried to diagnose me, many including a doctor believe I'm bipolar and have put me on meds that I feel I don't even need. So many people fail to see that most people, especially young kids, just don't have the patience to sit still for long periods of time. But because they've never been the same way in their younger days, or can't understand, they think medication is needed, when in truth, that is almost never the case.

[Raven Starhawk]

A lot of the disorders afflicting our children these days seems to make public educators all the more eager to enforce mind altering drugs on children. It is a double edge sword in a way because if you do give your children mental drugs to control them some will condemn you while if you do not give into the doctors you can be charged with medical neglect. Anyway great poem

[patricia]

I especially liked those last lines. It was refreshing to hear ...
I followed the Dr Spock book on my first child, I was over anxious.
I threw it away on the second. I had four kids in all.
Thanks Tate.

[Lily Mae]

There's so much truth in this.. Even though I work with special needs children and in some cases it's deemed necessary you can also tell the ones that are on something and don't need it... Serious diagnoses are different then behavioral issues..x Well done Tate...x

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

Well, it stands to the changes in which we know now, none of the stated bits of information stay the same, e grow, we learn, well doen, good read.

[Nautili]

It is a tough situation for ADD is real. It affects children and adults as well, making it difficult to focus and learn. I agree schooling is too much passivity, too much sitting and being lectured to, sometimes hour after hour. This promotes unruly behavior in these kids, and just more active children as well. But there is a genuine need for helping these children be able to filter out so much stimuli and help give them focus. Overused and misdiagnosed? Yes-but so are antidepressants and tranquilizers, everybody seems depressed and anxious these days.
But there are people who truly benefit from these drugs, who could not function well without additional levels of seretonin in their brain ....so it is just the nature of the beast. It is needed by some and abused by many.
I used to teach reading and writing skills in a high school-totally agree about phonics-big mistake to stop teaching that! It is the code needed to decipher the English language....big disservice to children to stop teaching that, but educators are realizing that now, and returning to phonics instruction .

[SoulCrusader (Yas)]

A very real and concernig issue.....
pharmacuticals are a billion dollar industry....
bottom line is profits,...
just the way the world is these days...

[Pratik]

The last paragraph is BANG ON! This is such a real piece of writing ... it deals with an issue which has become viral in your society.... There is a little boy in my neighborhood whom I give private tuition... he studies almost round the clock.. just because he has to get admission in some fancy school! That is how childhood is reduced this days... and there is no outlet from where you can release your pent up energy.... it sort of get build inside and absorbed.... you address the issue with full steam and have very effectively brought about the challenges children face today.. Thank you for the read :)