DIRECTING RESOURCES UPSTREAM
TO
IMPROVE PARENTING OVERALL
David Dooley
David
Dooley teaches sixth grade math and science at
There's a
colossal difference between prevention and intervention, and lately
intervention programs are calling themselves prevention and this isn't helpful.
I found a terrific allegory that illustrates the difference. Hat tip the
Prevention Institute.
While
walking along a river, a passerby notices that someone in the water is
drowning. After pulling the person ashore, the rescuer notices another person
in the river in need of help. Before long, the river is filled with drowning
people, and more rescuers are required to assist the first rescuer.
Unfortunately, some people are not saved, and others fall back into the river
after they have been pulled ashore. At this time, one of the rescuers starts
walking upstream. "Where are you going?!?!" the other rescuers
scream. The rescuer replies, "I'm going upstream to see why people keep
falling into the river." As it turns out, the bridge across the river has
a hole through which people are falling. The upstream rescuer realizes that
fixing the hole will prevent people from falling into the river in the first
place.
Oughtn't
limited resources be directed as far upstream as
possible? And shouldn't there be some kind of prevention that would in one generation
eliminate child abuse, substance abuse, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, and
gang violence?
Isn't there
a common denominator? Aren't child abuse and domestic violence a kind of
twisted parenting? Don't teens often use drugs to escape from unsatisfactory
family relationships? Don't girls often use sex to attract the male attention
they aren't getting from their fathers? And don't they often say they want a
baby so someone will love them? And isn't to find a sense of belonging one of
the reasons kids join gangs? Good parenting is so important! Healthy
communities stem from healthy families, and healthy families stem from healthy parenting.
If we want
a brighter future we must improve the quality of parenting in our community.
There are two ways to approach this…one downstream and one upstream. The
downstream approach is to identify, round up, and change the parenting of every
adult who needs intervention, bearing in mind that some parents may not
recognize they have poor parenting skills, may not be motivated to change their
behavior, will face practical and psychological obstacles, and will have
already hurt their children. The upstream approach is to teach best parenting behaviors
and practices to young people, kids, in an effort to prepare them for the most
important job they'll have as adults.
How can
young people be reached? Here's an idea. Permanent multimedia public service
announcement campaigns on radio, television, billboards, print, and the
internet that teach kids how to engage in parenting behaviors and practices
generally recognized as supporting the healthy physical, emotional, and
intellectual development of children, and reject parenting behaviors and
practices that disrupt the healthy development of children. I can imagine
professionally done, high energy, public service announcements narrated by
appealing
school
age spokespersons.
It would take
a generation to see the results. But it's worth a try.
