TV powerful medium

Television is the most powerful medium we know today.

It has the power to reach and influence all ages, from the tiniest toddlers to the oldest geezers.

For years we have seen public service announcements to keep kids off drugs, to teach kids how to read, preaching safe sex and abstinence and against smoking and drinking.

Finally someone had the bright idea to tell parents to pay more attention to their kids.

Country singer Martina McBride appears in a P.S.A. series called "Tune into Your Kids." In the announcement McBride is busy at home when her kindergartner comes home from school. She stops what she is doing to find out about his day.

Something as simple as that can boost a child's self-worth for years to come. But not all parents have that pleasure.

Some have to work too hard and can't spend enough time with their kids.

Today's world demands nearly a 50-60 hour work week from at least one or both parents. With those kinds of time demands, parents can't spend as much time as they would like with their kids.

Complicating this problem is the fact that too many children come from single-parent families.

Within the past year experts have noticed a correlation between crime rates, drug use, self-esteem, and suicide rates among single parent children.

Children who have fathers present or have both parents living together are statistically less likely to use drugs or commit other crimes than children with no father figure in their lives.

Another problem is that many people breed before they are ready to be parents. They seem to figure that everything will work out. When it doesn't work out, they hurt more than each other; they hurt an innocent child.

So who is to blame? It doesn't matter who is to blame. The fact is things need to change. Parents need to find time for their children, even if that means a personal sacrifice. After all, that is what parenting is all about.

People need to learn that child bearing should not be self-fulfilling. They should not breed until they are ready to accept full responsibility for the life they create. That includes up to an 18-year financial and moral obligation.

Without that dedication, children suffer and may eventually turn to an artificial form of support like drugs, alcohol, or maybe a cult.

We hope that the babysitter parents have relied on for years will teach them a lesson as well. Maybe our good friend television will be more beneficial than our parents told us it would be.