Eight years ago four kids joined our family and all were heavily medicated. One was severely behaviorally challenged, bi-polar, on Depacote, Risperdol and several other medications, he ended up leaving us a couple of years later and residing in a state mental hospital, returning again only to end up in jail. After being on medications for over a decade, we slowly weaned him; his behavior was no better and no worse off medications, if anything he’d grown immune to them.

His three siblings, then ages almost 3, 4 and 8 were all on Clonidine because their foster mom said they were rambunctious. I was alarmed, little children are supposed to be rowdy and active. We live out in the country, we expend a great deal of energy each day and my gut told me the kids didn’t need these meds at all. I discussed this with their Texas caseworker who agreed wholeheartedly with me. My actual words to her were,”Don’t you think there’s a little too much over-medication happening there in CPS care?”

She was also an adoptive parent, she’d adopted very tough kids, six of them, and she’d tossed all their meds as well. I do believe that some children are in need of medication, I’m not issuing a blanket statement against it.

Another son of mine, whose movements are always deliberate and thought out, was on Ritalin. "What?” I’d literally screeched. He was not hyperactive at all, so I took him off and he started eating like a normal teenager should do.

I came across this article today, alarming me to no end. I don’t presume to know correct doses, or which person needs medications, I’m simply shocked at the automatic frequency with which they are doled out, willy-nilly it seems.

Driving through neighborhoods nowadays, one doesn’t see children at play like years ago. I can’t remember how many decades it’s been since I’ve seen children play Kick the Can in the streets; instead it appears as if kids are behind closed blinds in their houses playing electronic games, never getting fresh air.

I am gratified to see all my children playing organized sports and spur of the moment games in our meadow, organizing trips down to the creek or playing in the woods. To me personally, there’s no spirit lifter quite like standing barefoot in a creek, calming down from the pressures of the world, works for me and I’d like to pass that on to my children rather than teach them about chemical inducements to better moods.