EmpoweringParents.com

“Pharming”, or the abuse of prescription drugs, is on the rise amongst 12 to 17-year-olds.

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After we had our son, we went back and forth about whether or not to have him vaccinated. One of the reasons for our indecision was the fact that a friend of ours had a seemingly normal child who started exhibiting signs of autism after getting the MMR shot back in the late ’90s.

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Homework can be challenging for parents and kids when ADHD is in the picture. In order to prevent hassles, the first place to start is at your child’s school.
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OK, get this: the hottest kindergarten accessory is not a backpack, lunchbox, or new pair of sneakers. It’s a cell phone. That’s right–I was talking to Bob Lotter, founder of the mobile phone watchdog company Radar, and he told me that in L.A. at least, many parents are investing in cell phones for their kindergartners.

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Remember the “Teen Pregnancy Pact” story back in June? Recently, EP reader Toni Vitanza weighed in with this comment on our blog about teens and dating. The question for our readers: Do you think it’s better for teens to date around, or is it OK for them to commit to one person? Don’t forget to post your opinion below!

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My son has inherited my “sleeping gene” as my husband calls it. I can—and have—slept through everything from crashing thunderstorms to earthquakes. As a kid, I remember my mother doing everything short of setting off fireworks to get me up, from tearing the covers off me in the dead of winter to sprinkling cold water on my face. But at least I wasn’t as bad as my brother, who’s even more legendary in the sleep department than I am. My mom used to carry him to the bathroom in the morning until he was twelve. He was taller than she was even then, so his feet literally touched the floor as she lugged him down the hall. I didn’t want the Sherpa treatment, so nothing else worked for my mom except hauling me out of bed by my feet. “I hope you have a child who’s just like you, so you know what it feels like,” she warned. Read more »

Back in January, my friend Julie asked me, “Has your kindergarten stomach ache started yet?” When I gave her a puzzled look, she said, “I’ve already started to freak out about Eli starting kindergarten in the fall.” I knew what she meant-ever since my son turned 5, I’d been dreading his graduation into the big boy world of backpacks, Power Rangers, and visits from the tooth fairy. I know it sounds terrible-I should be celebrating every milestone, right? But the truth is, while I love seeing my son grow, a part of me can’t help but mourn a little for the baby he was.

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Dear Parental Support:

I have two daughters, aged 12 and 8, and a son who’s 4. My problem is that none of  my kids can seem to talk without whining. They whine when it’s time to get up, when it’s time to go to bed, when we ask them to clean their rooms, turn off the TV, or do their summer reading. Is there any way we can stop this annoying habit? It’s driving me and my husband crazy!!!

–Heidi in Sacramento

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If you think your child hasn’t tried Robotripping, you might want to read this.

Last week, a mom wrote to us with this story:

I’m not sure if you are aware of this recent  trend of kids drinking Robitussin, but I found out about it by accident from my 16-year old daughter, who lives with her Dad.  She got mixed up with a 19-year old freak who drinks whole entire bottles of Robitussin to get high. Also, I don’t understand the reason behind this, but they sometimes combine Robitussin, Jolly Ranchers, and some kind of clear pop like Sprite or 7-Up to make a “cocktail.”

My daughter said she will never do this again, because it made her so sick she was vomiting on & off for 3 days. Do you have any recent reports or info regarding students under the age of 18 using Robitussin to get high? This is the first I have heard about it.

–Southwest Mom

To be honest, I’d heard murmurs about this trend, but didn’t realize how widespread it has gotten. When I was in high school, I remember a kid named Mike who drank Scope and cough syrup between classes. Everyone knew he was doing it, but nobody else joined in. In fact, I remember feeling a little sorry for him. Well, times have changed. I dug around on the Internet and found out that “Robotripping,” as it’s now called, is hugely popular with kids aged 9-17.  Basically, it involves consuming large amounts of Robitussin or other cough syrups containing DXM until you get high–apparently, when you drink enough of it, it has a hallucinogenic effect. Coricidin, or “doing Skittles” is also a popular abuse of an OTC drug. (In 2006, 1 in 10 teens admitted to abusing the medicine to get high.) There are even whole websites devoted to making up tasty cocktails with cold medicines, complete with little charts that show you how much you need to drink in order to get wasted. Kids feel like it’s safe to do this becaues these are medicines found in their parents’ bathrooms, but sadly, some have actually overdosed and died from Robotripping.

Does anyone else have more information on this, or on other OTC drugs that kids are abusing? (I’m including a link here to the Mayo Clinic website, where a doctor describes what you should look for if you suspect your child is Robotripping.)

Jessica tells Sophie she can’t play dress-up with her and her group of friends because Sophie doesn’t watch Hannah Montana.  Three boys form a “gang” at day camp and terrorize the rest of the kids during free time.  Pop Quiz: How old are the kids I’m talking about here?  Read more »