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.

[S. Michael Long]

P.S. Ex Amphetamine addicted, Misfit Child= S. Michael Long (:

[S. Michael Long]

thats not to say there are no misfit children in the mix.. there are some, that cause problems regardless of parental effort.. and for those children, i would prescribe more.. more of what they need, and let me tell you.. its not amphetamines.. again.. brilliant write! -s

[S. Michael Long]

man is this a true poem or what.. i have a deep hatred for giving children amphetamines to deal with problems... and keep in mind, giving amphetamines to children, doesn't help their problems, it helps the PARENTS problems... and the parents problems arise out of poor parenting... brilliant poem (: -s

[Stacey Watts]

This was always a pet peeve of mine. I homeschool my son because I know he is so spirited and smart that they would stifle him and try to make me put him on medicine. The schools are not teaching our kids. They are testing them. All the classes seem to be all about the standardized testing. I think we have inadvertently taught our children to not think for themselves. This was a brilliant piece. Very well written.

[Pinki Tuscaderro]

"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact" -William Shakespeare

I thought I was the only one who wrote mental health related poetry. Thank you for using your talents to address critical issues. Lord knows the world has enough poems about love. It is nice to know some of us poets think outside the heart-shaped box of candied rhymes and trite sentiments. Keep writing. I look forward to reading more of your work on related topics.

[Donald Cole]

and these days it is prevalent with kids and adults. It has been said that over half of people with mental illness would be cured if they learned how to forgive themselves. I think this comes from people teaching whats wrong instead of whats right.
A sad reality....
Don

[Amila Jay]

A very thought provoking piece of writing. Great work :))

[Klyn]

I fought for years with my now 19 year old. I was told she was ADHD. Really? She can read a Harry Potter book in one setting, watch a 2 hour movie w/o flinching and hyper she was not. LAZY! Being a single mother and a victim of child abuse my parenting skills were not the best. I finally got a diagnosis I could agree with. Oppositional Behavior Disorder aka Poor Parenting. Parenting is not rocket science...but man....it's freakin' close! Don't get me started on the conspiracy of the government holding hands with the Pharma companies either. I'm a nurse and uh.....there IS a cure for cancer....but they ain't gonna tell YOU that.

[Alicia Schroeder]

This write was amazing and it is so sad that parents drug there children in hopes that they will behave. I could never do that to my child, just because he/she has hyperactive issues or can't sit still.. my son doesn't stop talking or moving from the time he wakes in the morning, until he actually falls asleep, I have received little notes on his progress reports that although his grades are great, he doesn't sit still or listen.. Obviously he's listening, if his work is done, maybe his teacher should just double check her stuff, give the child work that is more challanging, but to recomend them to a doctor, i'd deffinatly draw the line.. I think its an easy out for a teacher.. If they can't handle the children, maybe they should look for another career.. :D

[rosemary keogh]

my son was diagonsed with ADD when he was a child. they wanted to put him on meds for it but i wouldnt have it. he grew up just fine. great poem tate.