1996-1997 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest
Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa
1st Wendy Palmer
2nd Jennifer Swain
3rd Sam Wood
"Too many parents let their children get away with just about
anything. This is causing many of the problems in our society. Children should be talked
to and corrected, not only punished, so they know the right way to handle the situation in
the future."
Wendy Palmer, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"To make a story more real to audiences, journalists often
include statistics. However, they often simply use the statistics of some agency or
another without bothering to check on how they were found. The amount of breast cancer
victims has become a matter of much concern since the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and
the American Cancer Society frightened the world with the declaration that American women
face a one-in-eight chance of contracting the disease. That scary figure, though, applies
only to women who already have managed to live to the age of 95; one out of eight of them
most likely will contract breast cancer. According to the NCI's own figures, a
twenty-five-year-old woman runs only a 1-in-19,608 risk. While statistics like these make
stories more real, they make them much less truthful.…People depend on the news as
information to help them make important decisions such as how to vote, which career to
pursue, and how to manage finances. For such important information to be inaccurate so
often is unacceptable."
Jennifer Swain, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"A good example of irresponsible parenting is that 'in the
last thiry years, we have witnessed skyrocketing increases in violent crime, illegitimate
birth, child neglect, and hard-core substance abuse.' Much of this behavior can be traced
back to irresponsible parents. Pregnant women who drink, smoke, and take illicit drugs,
are heading toward becoming irresponsible parents."
Adam Wood, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"Fortunately, there are many very responsible parents. For
instance, 'the parents of a young teenage boy allow their son to watch R-rated videos, but
they discuss with him the difference between fantasy and reality. They sit down and talk
about certain issues such as violence and sex.' This is a very responsible action by the
parents. This will help their son be in touch with reality and be able to distinguish the
difference between fact and fiction, unlike many young people in our society."
Wendy Palmer, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"A great irresponsibility is an absence of family values.
These can cause desire, fear, loneliness, depression, rebelliousness, curiosity, and
dependency. Without family values teens don't know any better when they are out there in
the real world."
Laura Kinberley, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"Many cases of
irresponsible driving stem from stupidity, plain and simple. One incident took place in
Los Angeles, California, involving a couple driving on the freeway. 'A man persuaded his
wife to ride under the hood of the car and pull the accelerator cable after it snapped.
The car was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers after they noticed the
woman's legs dangling from underneath the hood of the vehicle moving at a speed of 45
mph.' The way in which this couple dealt with their problem would be considered by most
extreme, unnecessary, and irresponsible behavior. The wife could've been seriously injured
or easily killed because of their irresponsibility."
Blake McClung, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"When you become a parent a great deal of responsibility is
placed on your shoulders, but many parents do not accept this responsibility as they
should."
Wendy Palmer, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"Most all unplanned pregnancies are examples of
irresponsibility. Nothing is foolproof when it comes to having sexual intercourse; except
of course, abstinence. Last year a friend of mine became pregnant. It was not planned and
her partner was even wearing a condom. The news was very shocking to them both. They then
had the decision to have an abortion, go through with the pregnancy and keep the baby, or
give the baby up for adoption. The realism of abstinence really hit home to me and many of
my classmates."
Laura Kinberley, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"Sometimes a 'good story' takes precedence over honesty, and
journalists simply deceive people. 'Dateline NBC' rigged a GM pickup to explode helpfully
on camera. USA Today suspended a reporter for staging a front-page photo of ominous
gun-bearing gang members. The young men had been sent home to get their guns for the
picture. 'NBC itself went back on air with another admission of error, this time for using
footage of fish supposedly killed during clear-cutting of timber on government land. In
reality, one shot depicted a different forest while another showed fish that were not
dead, only stunned by researchers for testing.'"
Jennifer Swain, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"Communication between parent and child/children is another
quality of a responsible parent. One mother commented, 'I always sit down with my
daughters and talk to them about their day sometime before they go to bed.' This shows
them their parents care and gives them a chance to discuss any problems they might be
dealing with in their life."
Wendy Palmer, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"As parents we usually think in the context of making our
children responsible to us for their actions, and, to a degree, this is as it should be.
Over the long term, however, the real key to help them see that they are really
responsible to society. 'One example is when Jason, a seven year old, found some beer
bottles in his yard and being upset, he threw them over the fence. The neighbor ruined his
tire on the broken glass. Jason's parents taught him some responsibility by having him
apologize, get a job and pay the neighbor for his ruined tire. This action caused an
increase in Jason's maturity and taught him to take responsibility.' Parents must take the
responsibility to teach children how to cope with actions that are a problem, how to
control their anger and how to handle success and failure. Once children have these tools,
parents must let them take responsibility for solutions to problems regarding their
actions."
Adam Wood, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"One high school student commented, 'My parents always want
to know where I will be and they always want me to check-in with them frequently. I know
this is just because they love me and want me to be safe.' Those are great parents!"
Wendy Palmer, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"The media makes plenty of errors. 'Pollster George Gallup,
Jr., found in 1980 that when people were asked what their own experience had been with
newspaper reports of things that they knew about personally, about one in three (34
percent) said the paper had gotten the facts wrong.' Official news sources should be a bit
more accurate than this, I think we would all agree."
Jennifer Swain, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"A personal interview was conducted with my mother, Kathy
Wood, concerning her experience as a responsible parent. She explained to me that she and
my father were divorced fifteen years ago. She and my father chose joint custody and each
of them took the responsibility for the financial support of my sister and me. They both
communicated almost daily regarding our progress, health and other needs. They remained
flexible on vacations, caring for sick children and doctor office visits. Both have always
attended parent-teacher conferences together as well as extra curricular activities where
my sister and I were participants. They also would remain consistent in discipline and
supporting school policies. Through the years they have shown support and respect for each
other and were visible role models for us."
Adam Wood, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"The first step of responsibility, when it comes to teenage
pregnancy, is telling your parents. In one girl's account, she declares, 'The news struck
hard. My heart was pounding faster than it ever had before. What will my parents think?
They are going to flip!' Parents have a right to know what's going on in their teen's
life. It may be hard to fill them in on everything, but it's better that they know.
Support is very important and to have it come first from a parent means so much. I feel
that even if a pregnancy is a mistake, it's the parent's responsibility to help out. No
matter what, someone needs to be there for support and help."
Laura Kimberley, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"In Michigan, a prostitute so her twelve-year-old daughter
for sex in order to get drug money.' This woman had not business ever becoming a mother if
she wasn't going to be able to give up drugs and put her child first."
Wendy Palmer, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"Responsible parents do make good role models for their
children. In doing this, their children learn the various traits that caused them to be
good parents and respected citizens in the community."
Adam Wood, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"I know there are many role models in the United States and
many of them are movie stars. Sometimes I don't think people realize that television is
make believe, but even still, much more needs to be sensored and made appropriate for all
to enjoy."
Laura Kimberley, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
"When asking a classmate about her parents and responsibility
she commented, 'When I do something wrong, my parent sit me down and explain to me what I
should have done to make the situation right.' This is a very responsible action by her
parents. Many parents don't ever correct their children when they do something
wrong."
Wendy Palmer, Bondurant-Farrar, Bondurant, Iowa
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