Young Writers Society

Seeking straight A's, parents push for pills
Pediatricians report increasing requests for 'academic doping'

By Victoria Clayton
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 11:16 a.m. ET Sept. 7, 2006


A 15-year-old girl and her parents recently came in for a chat with Dr. James Perrin, a Boston pediatrician, because they were concerned about the girl's grades. Previously an A student, she was slipping to B's, and the family was convinced attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was at fault — and that a prescription for Ritalin would boost her brainpower.

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Parents are stupid.

^^^
I concur.

Wow.... Thats a problem right there.

What? Ritalin was meant to help them concentrate better?

One of my close freinds was misdiagnosed as having ADHD when she was young and they put her on Ritalin. It really messed up her health, and probably her head too. She's still not compleatly there.

No, ritalin is meant to level you out. It makes you less hyperactive. Its only good in very extreme cases. I've seen kids on ritalin, they weren't able to concentrate any more than usual, but they weren't the hyperactive problem that they had been without it. They were a lethargic problem.

Oh no! It's terrible! B's! Not from our daughter!

Doctor, isn't there a miracle drug that can fix our child, in desperate need of help? She's so troubled! So vulnerable! So impressionable! We can't have a child who recieves nothing but straight A's!

*blinks*

I'm with Snoink on this one. Parents are stupid.

Gee, you'd think they'd be proud of their daughter. B's aren't a bad grade.

I've known many a student who would freak out at anything less than an A+. I've known many a student who's parents would do the same.

That's so weird...a C is average, so a B must be *ABOVE* average! Geez! Why so picky? Grades don't determine college attendence anymore anyway.

I believe the "it reflects on my parenting skills" card comes into play on that one.

Lama, change your sig.

Parenting styles have a lot to do with how a child inevitably turns out. Shooting kids up with drugs is no way to influence their kids' overall chances of success.

Say 'NO' to drugs! :p

That is really retarded. Who puts their kids on a drug to make them get better grades? I'm glad my parents aren't clueless like them.

Interestingly enough, this is absolutely not a problem in the UK; no recorded instances of it, as far as I could find.

Completely different attitude toward education, here, and definitely a different one toward drugs. I was always amazed at the way American media advertised drugs, as if your average guy was going to be able to recommend to his doctor what he should have, based on what his TV says. That's what your doctor is for, for crying out loud: telling you what treatment you need.
It's filtering over here in small quantities, but in general you'll go to your doctor and take what he gives you, no try and convince him that what you saw on TV really is good for you... which is probably partially why you don't get these problems in the UK.

Anyway: sort yourselves out! All children should be above average

Sureal wrote:Gee, you'd think they'd be proud of their daughter. B's aren't a bad grade.

If I don't get straight A's, I lose financial support from my parents. So it's a more real problem than you'd like to think. ><