Comments on: Traveling Children Must Be Drugged http://www.vagabondish.com/traveling-children-must-be-drugged/ The Travelzine for Today's Vagabond Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:10:03 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Mike http://www.vagabondish.com/traveling-children-must-be-drugged/comment-page-1/#comment-440 Mike Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:32:27 +0000 http://www.vagabondish.com/traveling-children-must-be-drugged/#comment-440 I guess it really depends on the age of the child. If it's an infant, and the crying seems nonstop and for no good reason, then one can probably assume an earache might have something to do with it. I wonder if there's something that can be prescribed by a pediatrician that would help in that case? But if we're talking about a two-year old who just won't behave or sit still, drugging them is rather extreme. The "slippery slope" argument is definitely something to be concerned about here in the States. I remember an article a while back stating something like 20-30% of children under 12 were on some sort of medication - like ritalin, etc. That's a staggering number to me. Americans jump all too quickly to drugs as a cure-all for everything and, in many cases, a remedy to bad parenting. I guess it really depends on the age of the child. If it’s an infant, and the crying seems nonstop and for no good reason, then one can probably assume an earache might have something to do with it. I wonder if there’s something that can be prescribed by a pediatrician that would help in that case?

But if we’re talking about a two-year old who just won’t behave or sit still, drugging them is rather extreme.

The “slippery slope” argument is definitely something to be concerned about here in the States. I remember an article a while back stating something like 20-30% of children under 12 were on some sort of medication – like ritalin, etc. That’s a staggering number to me. Americans jump all too quickly to drugs as a cure-all for everything and, in many cases, a remedy to bad parenting.

]]> By: Preya http://www.vagabondish.com/traveling-children-must-be-drugged/comment-page-1/#comment-438 Preya Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:22:36 +0000 http://www.vagabondish.com/traveling-children-must-be-drugged/#comment-438 This is a tricky one. Sometimes, as a (childless) passenger on long-haul flights, I WISH parents would drug their cranky kids because it's extremely disruptive to have to hear a baby crying or throwing a fit for 14 hours. I wonder whether even the best-behaved child is susceptible to tantrums on planes due to earaches and whatnot; and perhaps it's somewhat of a fallacy to assume the slippery slope, that resorting to extreme measures on long-haul flights would open the door to similar solutions in less stressful situations. However, I also agree that parents should learn how to parent their kids and not rely on drugs to do their jobs for them. I guess it's not something I'll have full perspective on until I'm a parent! This is a tricky one. Sometimes, as a (childless) passenger on long-haul flights, I WISH parents would drug their cranky kids because it’s extremely disruptive to have to hear a baby crying or throwing a fit for 14 hours. I wonder whether even the best-behaved child is susceptible to tantrums on planes due to earaches and whatnot; and perhaps it’s somewhat of a fallacy to assume the slippery slope, that resorting to extreme measures on long-haul flights would open the door to similar solutions in less stressful situations. However, I also agree that parents should learn how to parent their kids and not rely on drugs to do their jobs for them. I guess it’s not something I’ll have full perspective on until I’m a parent!

]]>