Thoughts to Share...

So, I have reached some clarity as of late: Life has a funny way of bringing people into our lives when we least expect it.   Every encounter we have whether its brief and short or long periods of time, is presented before us to teach us, impact us, change us, mature us and most of all help us grow.  As every day passes we learn something new, as we encounter different relationships whether they last ...or end, they teach us values, importance, what we will settle for, what we will compromise and what we won't, and most of ALL they prepare us for our future.  We have all faced heartache, pain, anger and strife, but its when we choose to let those memories and feelings go that we become free. We create the ability to move forward in life, to see opportunities that stand before us without regret. They open our hearts and give us the ability to accept things that are good and pure. We are able to see things more clearly, feel things more clearly and become more accepting of life and others. We begin to open our hearts out to what life truly has to offer and what is in store for us. What I am trying to say to everyone is simple: " Don't spend your days, focused on the negative, pain and hurt. Find the strength to let it go, because if you can come to a place of acceptance and growth - better things will come."  Cherish those in your life with everything you have, tell those you care about how you feel, take the time to impact the lives of others in a positive manner, take life with an optimistic approach and most of all trust the process.

-SRA Graduate

What is Your Teenager Hiding?

Do you know what your child is hiding?  Possibly not.  There are a lot of places where kids hide drugs without their parents even noticing.  Kids hide drugs in common household items like pens, toilet paper rolls, lipstick, in cars, under toilet tanks, potato chip cans, etc.  It is very important for parents to become aware of where kids can hide drugs.  For more information, check out this video with a teenager sharing his story on ABC News.  In addition, go to Mask Matters for a list places where kids hide drugs.

Cell Phones and Kids

Sit at any parenting group or middle school pick up and you will hear this questions, "When should I get my kid a cell phone?"   PBS recently addressed this question, in an article titled, When Should You Get Your Kid a Cell Phone.

This article gave a list of questions to ask yourself before you hand a child a cell phone.  It is important to realize the communication power you are giving your child.  MASK Matters has created a cell phone contract, which parents may want to use before they give their son or daughter a cell phone.  See the contract at their web site MASK Matters.

Cell phone have become a "must have" for kids, but boundaries and guidelines created between parents and kids is a "must have" as well.

Letter from SRA Parent

Spring Ridge Academy is 

Exceptional, Special, and Magical.

It is a place for people like us, who have learned the Love is not enough.  Love is not enough.

If it were, we would not be here.

A close athletic contest, a game of seven, transports us

Not because it measure relative athletic ability; but because it

Measures effort, commitment, and courage.

A good TV drama, like Grey’s Anatomy or ER, transports us because it

Compresses, focuses, distills and magnifies the issue of life. 

So athletic contests and TV dramas have the power to transport us to a different time and place.

Spring Ridge Academy is magical, transporting and profound

Because it compresses, focuses, distills and magnifies

What matters in our lives.

And it requires us to examine our lives

With effort, commitment, and courage

But it is special

Not because it transports us to a different time and place,

It is special because it engages us here and now

In this time and place

In the Matter of Life.

So mark this time and place well

Because the like of this place has not been seen, and its full measure has yet to be taken.

-SRA Parent

High School Students Seeking An Edge, Turn To Stimulants

A recent New York Times article, Risky Ride of the Good-Grade Pill  discusses the increase use of prescription stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin by teenagers.  The article explains that high school students feeling extreme pressure over grades and college admissions are turning to prescription stimulants for a competitive edge. 

Many young people believe that because these medicines are prescribed by doctors, they can’t be dangerous.  However, the abuse of prescription stimulants can be very dangerous.  Prescription stimulants can lead to high blood pressure, depression, mood swings, heart irregularities,  nervousness, exhaustion or psychotic episodes.  In addition, stimulants can lead to the abuse of painkillers and sleep aids.  

The article quotes Caron Treatment Center, family therapist, Paul L. Hokemeyer, explaining that, “Children have prefrontal cortexes that are not fully developed, and we’re changing the chemistry of the brain. That’s what these drugs do. It’s one thing if you have a real deficiency — the medicine is really important to those people — but not if your deficiency is not getting into Brown.”

In addition, The D.E.A. lists prescription stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse (amphetamines) and Ritalin (methylphenidate) as Class 2 controlled substances because they rank among the most addictive substances that have a medical use.  Most teenagers and parents have no idea that giving a friend an  Adderall or Vyvanse pill is the same as selling it and can be prosecuted as a felony.

According to IMS Health, a health care information company, the number of ADHD medications dispensed for young people ages 10-19, has risen 26% since 2007, to almost 21 million yearly.    This article states that doctors and teenagers from more than 15 schools across the nation with high academic standards estimated that the portion of high school students who use stimulants as a study aid ranges from 15 % - 40%.  

It is important for parents to discuss with their children the dangers of taking medications from their friends.  Parents and doctors should discuss the dangers of stimulants with teen agers.