NEVADA PARENTS GET A D-
Teenage depression is far too common these days, but healthy family communication makes the difference
BY HEIDI HARRIS

Heidi Harris frequently appears on Fox News Live and Fox News Live Weekend. Look for her soon-to-debut radio show in Las Vegas soon. Visit her website www.heidiharris.com. Other stories by Heidi Harris

The latest episode of misplaced media hysteria would have been funny, if it weren't so sad. The Children's Advocacy Alliance recently released the Nevada Children's Report Card 2006. By their calculations, Nevada gets a D- for the third time in a row. 

Categories included "Health," "Safety and Security," "Education" and "Teen Years." As you can imagine, Nevada fell short in nearly every category. (Queue up Pink Floyd's "Money.") We're all concerned about children, but the liberal media act as if the state is solely responsible for the welfare of children. No mention is ever made of the parental units - you know ... the ones who are supposed to care for their children. 

In one example, the Nevada Children's Report Card gives Nevada an "F" grade for "health insurance". I'll have to double check, but I thought most Nevada carriers offer health insurance for children. I guess it would ruin the lead story on the 6 o'clock news to qualify the rating by stating the obvious - many parents don't choose to buy insurance. Cigarettes, beer and pay per view are more important. Once again, the truth is tossed aside. 

According to the report card, "Immunization" also got an "F" grade, but how is that possible, when vaccinations are available to anyone for a nominal fee? None of the reporters I heard even bothered to ask. There's no mystery here. Drug users and other people living on the edges of society put no thought into any aspect of reproduction, so why should proper parenting be a priority? Even providing "free" services isn't an incentive, so why fault "Nevada?" 

Nevada fared no better in the "Teen Years" category. Included are teen birth rates (D-), teen suicides (F), alcohol and tobacco (C), and drugs (F). Has anyone every heard the phrase "adult supervision?" If you don't know where your kids are, what they're doing or who they're with, chances are someone in their periphery will expose them to alcohol, drugs or sex. Statistics prove most teenagers get pregnant in the afternoon, after school and before working parents get home. Let's blame the state of Nevada for that. 

Teen suicide is always a tragedy, but "Nevada" is not to blame. Mental health professionals decry the lack of facilities available for suicidal people of all ages, but when it comes to the mental health of teens, shouldn't parents be the first line of defense? Is your teen suicidal? Do you even know? Teenage depression and feelings of isolation are far too common these days, but healthy family communication and awareness make the difference. Too often we hear about teenagers who exhibited all the classic warnings signs, yet no one paid attention. No amount of government money can replace involved, proactive parents. 

The Children's Advocacy Alliance works very hard for benefit of children in our state, and they've accomplished a great deal. Unfortunately, like so many advocacy groups, the blame for the problem is shifted from where it belongs (in this case, parents) to government, which was never designed to solve every social problem. That's because it's much easier to make responsible people (taxpayers) feel guilty for a problem they didn't create than to expect accountability from bad parents. 

I've come to expect subjectivity from advocates for every cause, but how about some objectivity among members of the media? It's sickening how easily they swallow the bait of an easy headline outlining the problem, while never bothering to accurately identify the solution. What they fail to realize is that viewers are much savvier these days. No wonder fewer and fewer people watch network news. LW