Parents,

after being their children's primary role models

early in life, need to prepare for when that

changes and provide the proper amount of

discipline while allowing children to make

choices early when the consequences are not as

great.

That

was the message given by a three-member panel of

experts, organized by Superior Court Judge Chris

Edwards, at a town hall meeting of sorts for

local parents Thursday night at the county's

Stonewall Avenue complex.

After

a brief introduction, during which Edwards passed

out literature to the 20 or so parents in

attendance, he turned the meeting over to the two

psychologists and one probation officer

comprising the panel.

Audience

members took an active part in the program,

frequently asking questions and engaging in

role-playing activities with the panel to learn

how to better converse with their children.

One

early question concerned just how many young

people partake in alcohol and drugs throughout

the school years. The answers surprised many.

On

a national scale, 13-26 percent have at least

tried marijuana - and that's among grades

4-6. Alcohol experimentation in that same age

group is 29-45 percent, according to one of the

psychologists.

Among

sixth graders, 56 percent say they have tried

something they really did not want to do, she

added, pointing out that peer pressure is the

main reason for high numbers in all of these

categories.

Edwards

offered that, while he hasn't seen hard numbers

himself, the majority of high school students

have probably tried alcohol. The legality of

drinking and cigarette use among adults has

helped fuel its social acceptance, he said.

"Kids

have a hard time understanding `don't do drugs'

from people who smoke cigarettes and drink

alcohol," he said.

There

was also a great deal of discussion concerning

the use of items besides alcohol and

"mainstream" drugs. A typical home has

259 possible inhalants which can be used as

drugs, said a Clayton County psychologist, who

went on to list some of them - spray starch,

paint, whipped cream, computer duster spray and

butane lighters.

Brain

damage can occur with just one sniff, she said. A

teenage girl in Lovejoy was killed in a 1994 car

crash in which she was riding with a

"huffer" who was driving.

During

role-playing exercises, parents received tips on

how to talk with their teenagers about important

issues, especially when the teenagers themselves

are not interested in talking. Another area

discussed was handling children who seem to be

disinterested in school or anything else in life.

Edwards

suggested that a good way to emphasize the

importance of education is to point out the

bottom-line aspect of it - simply showing

them how much more money they can make.

"They're all materialistic," he said.

The

printed material passed out by Edwards included

suggestions to parents, early warning signs of

juvenile misconduct and youth violence, tips for

parents on safe schools, and helpful phone

numbers.

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