Your children are your responsibility.

There was an article in last Sunday's Dallas Morning News about a mother who devised her own plan of action and worked ceaselessly with her autistic son to improve his communication and behavior. She has written a book about her experience and what it's meant to her son's quality of life. She is to be highly commended, as she epitomizes the unselfish love of a mother.

However, other "experts" and parents of autistics were quoted in the article, and the general timbre of their comments disturbs me. Their attitudes are all too representative of the mindset of today, namely, the government is here to take care of you. To quote from the article: "Scott's account . . . reveals how the state's limited services have forced parents into the unwitting role of therapist, caretaker and healer." Parents are forced into these roles? I thought these WERE the roles of a parent! If a person is not prepared to be these things for their children, then he better not have any. Another quote from the article: "I could help one son now and that takes away college for the other and I couldn't do that." She sees an either/or situation here. I say that's not the case. The college-bound son can do what I did -- work and pay his own way through school. Once again, the "someone has to do it for me" attitude rears its ugly head.

In a recent discussion about welfare, a woman said, "I wouldn't hesitate to take welfare. That's what the government is there for, and that's why we pay taxes." I informed her that she was wrong, wrong, wrong. The government's primary role is defense, and we do not pay taxes to provide a living for our citizens. Search though you may, you will never find in the founding documents of this country any mention of providing handouts and/or health care for able-bodied individuals. As talk show host Mark Davis said recently, "Give me back my country!"

"Hope in autistic boy's story." The Dallas Morning News; April 5, 2009; p. 1A.