Parenting Education

As one follows the news on television and in the newspapers, it is difficult not to be saddened and frustrated by ever increasing street violence and the many other problems that threaten society today and in the future. There are problems with the widespread development of gangs, with poor school attendance, drugs, teen pregnancy, lack of respect for law and authority in general, lack of respect for property and the rights of others, etc.

Public schools are charged with the education of our children to prepare them to be productive members of society. Along with better teaching techniques, the current emphasis for change in high schools is on academics: more math, science, geography, etc.; and on more vocational preparation. No public high school in Ventura County requires training in “parenting skills” as a requirement for graduation. Academic and vocational training are both necessary and should be continued. However, considering the number of teen pregnancies after marriage, pregnancies through laboratory techniques, adoptions by couples or by single men or single women, etc., one of the things we can be absolutely sure of is that almost all of our young people will become parents.

In most cases, whether or not they become effective parents may well depend on what they learn in school. Providing young people with the skills for effective parenting should be a major goal of every high school.

JOHN A. MASTERSON

Ventura