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ama Tec, research director of Mid–
fairfield Child Guidance Center,
Norwalk, Connecticut, further
points out how important proper
love and concern by parents is in
reducing the likelihood of their chil–
dren turning to drugs. Dr. Tec con–
ducted a survey among
1,
700
youths, ages 15 to 18, who lived in
an affluent suburban community
and attended the local public high
school. The survey dealt with those
who smoked marijuana, but there is
no reason to believe that the data
obtained would not apply to other
drugs as well. His survey findings
were disclosed in the November
1970
Journal of Marriage and the
Family.
A direct correlation exists be–
tween the amount of family recogni–
tion teen-agers are given and teen–
age marijuana use or nonuse. Ap-
When children can openly
talk to their families about
problems they are facing,
they are less likely to turn to
marijuana. Those children
who get their "high" from
Mom, Dad, and their family
have less need to seek a
"high" by other means.
proximately 58% of the teen-agers
whose parents were disappointed
and displeased with them used
marijuana - 26% moderately and
32% regularly. Of the children
whose parents were proud and
pleased with them, 23% used mari–
juana - 16% moderately and only
7% regularly.
It was found that parents who
lack warmth and are overly de–
manding and cold or indifferent in–
crease the likelihood of their
children's usage of marijuana. The
survey determined that 56% of the
children with indifferent parents
used marijuana. The percentage was
47% for those whose parents were
demanding and cold. I n com–
parison, 29% of the children whose
parents showed them warmth used
marijuana.
PLAIN TRUTH December 1973
Demanding too much of chi ldren
academically was also statistically
correlated with marijuana use. Like–
wise, indifference to children's ac–
complishments in school was also
correlated with marijuana use.
When children can openly talk to
their families about troubles they
are in or problems they are facing ,
they are less likely to turn to using
marijuana.
And children who say they enjoy
being with their families are less likely
to turn to marijuana use. In the sur–
vey, 38% of those children who said
they didn' t enjoy being with $eir
families regularly smoked mari–
juana. Only 4% of those who said
they enjoyed being with their fami–
lies were regular marijuana users.
An obvious conclusion from Dr.
Tec's survey is that those children
who got their "high" from Mom,
Dad, and their family had Jess de–
sire and need to seek a "high" by
other means, namely drugs.
Family Centered Love
The family should be a child's
center of love, warmth, caring, shar–
ing, and open communication. It
ought to be where he can get his
"high."
Dr. Blum discovered that in supe–
rior families, those families whose
children were less likely to become
involved with drugs, "there was
great joy and happiness within the
family circle itself. Family members
had fun with one another ... there
was much laughter. Each member
knew good things would happen
when they got together with the
rest; they looked forward to being
with each other. Attention was fo–
cused on others in optimistic antici–
pation . At the same time, this
attentiveness to one another's
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wisbes made them sensi–
tive and ready t o help
others."
This did not mean that the
type of family just described
was permissive. On the con–
trary, as Dr. Blum explained
in his book: "They told their
children in no uncertain
terms that they were not
' their children's friends; they
were their parents.' These par–
ents assumed leadership as a
part of their parental respon–
si bilities, and were in control."
As one father of a superior family
explained: "One of the ways you
can show !ove is to be actually a
father and a mother to your chil–
dren ... we are their parents. Love
is not being permissive ... at all
times. The strongest !ove you can
have for your children is the !ove
where you take time to be tough ...
[but) everything is tempered by
!ove...."
In
short, the family should be a
center of concern for children, ac–
knowledging them as persons with
emotions, feelings, abilities, and in–
dividual personalities. It is not only
where guidance and correction is
given when needed - correction it–
self is a form of !ove as the superior
father explained - but also a center
for both giving and receiving !ove.
In many cases, building this type
of family center may mean that par–
ents will have to de-emphasize sorne
of their own pursuits, turn off the
TV sooner and more often, and give
their children more of their time in
quantity and in quality.
Religious Needs
Finally, and most important of
all, is the arca of religion. Though
Dr. Blum confided
in
our interview
that he himself was not all tha t reli–
giously inclined, he had this
to
say
about religion: "On the basis of our
data, one of the most powerful pre–
dictors of whether children would
use drugs in a risky way was the
religiosity of the parents ... it may
very well be impossible, or next to
ímpossible, to rear a child in these
days with real assurance about bis
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