Submitted by: agcomm,  Thu Nov 20 09:45:32 1997


Parent Line:  The Kids in Your Community
 
Kim Bushaw, Parent Line Program Specialist
NDSU Extension Service
 
     Do you live where you:
       A. use "The Club" to lock your steering wheel,
       B. lock your car every time you get out of it, or
       C. leave the keys hanging in the ignition even at night?
     Does the gas station you frequent:
       A. have a bulletproof cage around the cashier,
       B. have a video camera recording its patrons, or
       C. use the honor system after hours?
     Do the children in your town:
      A. have schedules packed with after-school activities that
            are easy to access,   
      B. have rules and adults to check up on them in their
          before- and after-school    hours and holidays, or
      C. make their own fun which may include illegal activities 
     Life in a small town is often pleasant and convenient
because people know each other and watch out for one another.
There are fewer people per acre so there are fewer lines to wait
in and less traffic to plod through.
     The down side of this seemingly less complicated life, of
course, can be the lack of needed services and the isolation some
residents feel. I frequently hear about children who are allowed
to roam the streets or stay home alone, late and often, in rural
communities. This happens in larger towns too, but perhaps
because we have a sense of trust and security surrounding small
towns, we're less likely to worry about the children in these
areas. 
     Research has uncovered some unsettling similarities between
inner-city youth in Chicago and our very own small-town North
Dakota youth. Laura DeHaan, North Dakota State University
assistant professor and extension specialist in child development
and family science, found that inner-city Chicago and rural North
Dakota youth did not differ in terms of drug or alcohol use or in
delinquent behaviors.
     Both groups reported using alcohol at levels twice the
national average. Urban youth, however, reported significantly
higher levels of depression than did rural youth. 
     As adults we can make sure there are productive activities
for children that are easy to access and available to all.
Quality child care is a must for young children wherever they
live. Preventable injuries and fear are just two reasons children
need supervision day and night. 
     We can model the attitude that there are plenty of
opportunities if we seek them out or get people together to start
something new and positive, even if we have to start small and
build. When parents give the impression that there is nothing to
do, that their town is boring, they encourage children to do the
same.
     Be willing to supervise other people's children, give rides,
monitor, do whatever seems necessary to keep the community's
children safe and active in positive endeavors. 
     Consider working on implementing a curfew, a baby-sitting
co-op or after-school homework rooms staffed with parent
volunteers and high school students. Tutoring another student is
a great way to reinforce the tutor's own learning and keeps
students off the streets too.
     Perhaps the older students have a talent that could be
taught to a group of younger students. Lessons on guitar,
painting, cooking or chess come to mind. Retired seniors have a
lifetime of knowledge to share. The possibilities and skills that
are enveloped within that small community are nearly limitless.
     Big cities and small towns alike, we all need to keep "The
Club" a healthy place for kids to go, not a tool that keeps them
from stealing your cars. 
 
More than 100 Parent Line columns are in the book "Please Tell Me
This is Just a Stage." To order, send $9.95 per copy to
Distribution Center, Box 5655, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58105-5655. 
 
Kim Bushaw answers the Parent Line, an information and listening
support warmline for North Dakota parents from the NDSU Extension
Service. Call the Parent Line at 1-800-258- 0808 (231-7923 in
Fargo) with questions about this column and other parenting
topics.                               
                               ###
NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Kim Bushaw (701) 231-1070
Editor: Becky Koch (701) 231-7875