Your Family

By DANIEL S. LEVY

I'M HOME The common belief is that if both parents work, the kids feel neglected. Yet Ask the Children, a new book out next week, reveals that two-thirds of kids ages 8 to 18 say they already spend enough time with their folks; only 10% desire more hours with Mom and 16% with Dad. Most children also admit that their parents are doing a good job as parents, yet they do wish their folks were less stressed, with 65% saying they worry about them sometimes.

EVERYONE ISN'T DOING IT In a national survey of teenage drug use, PRIDE, an organization devoted to drug-abuse prevention, revealed last week that while drug use dropped 1.6% between September 1998 and June 1999, a quarter of America's sixth-to-12th-graders used drugs at least once during the past year. Fewer students than in previous years believe heroin and cocaine are "very harmful." But those whose parents talked to them "a lot" about the dangers of drugs were far less likely than other students to use them.

DRIVING MISS DAISY One of the biggest tensions between elderly parents and their children comes when the kids question whether Mom and Dad have lost too much of their eyesight and reflexes to drive a car safely. Few states make sure the elderly are fit to sit behind the wheel. Only Illinois retests older drivers, and attempts to pass a similar bill in California were shelved last week after strong opposition from the senior lobby. Even so, a new poll by the Field Institute reveals that 83% of Californians favor exams for those over 75. Also favoring the tests were 68% of those ages 75 and older.

--By Daniel S. Levy