Have you ever wondered why kids love Elmo so much? Well, maybe it’s because he comes filled with meth.

Recently, Colorado officials busted up a major drug ring that ran through Las Vegas and California. There was a reported 45 pounds of high-quality methamphetamine hidden inside Elmo and friends. Nineteen people, one of whom is the suspected ringleader, were arrested.

Okay, puppets being used to ship narcotics around the country is funny, and you can’t help but smile, but all the media attention focusing on the fact that they used an Elmo doll begs the question, “Why is a puppet so famous?”

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It’s no secret that a lot of kids are being raised by the television set. The fact that four- and five-year-olds spend great amounts of time watching Sesame Street makes it nearly impossible for them to not adore these puppets. Most of them learn to tell time because of their television schedules. Parents depend on television characters to raise their children for them. Children now learn how to go potty with Dora, how to speak with Barney, and how to shoot up with Elmo. When do their parents step in?

Turning cartoon characters into role models causes problems. First off, they are not real. Second of all, children develop dependencies on these fictional characters that are unhealthy. Third of all, how much money do you want to spend on Dora the Explorer memorabilia?

Society's addiction to the boob tube is starting to become a problem, if for no other reason than the pop culture dependency that stems from it. Girls grow up with an unattainable ideal of beauty that they pick up from anorexic supermodels, and boys are looking up to athletes who choose steroids over smarts. Children are learning social norms from T.V., leading them to chase after an impossible idea of normalcy.

They do not realize that the standards set by Full House reruns are not the way most families are. They don't realize the dangers of building their values around their television programming, and, sadly enough, their parents are not telling them any differently.

Through passive acceptance of pop culture, we are practically breeding junkies. It starts with making children reliant on television. From there, they move on to caffeine, then cigarettes, leading them to who knows what else. Instead of actually trying to bond with their children and letting them know that they can depend on their parents when life gets tough, we look to TV or drugs to help get through the days.

The fact that people are picking puppets to smuggle drugs across borders, and that the public eye is stuck on the puppet and not on the drug being smuggled, is a red flag. One addiction being used to smuggle another is what it all boils down to, and neither are very healthy.

Before you do your holiday shopping, read your kids' Christmas lists and ask yourself what your children are really trying to tell you. Is the computer she wants her way of giving up on contact from the actual people in their homes? Maybe the teddy bear he asked for is his way of saying, "I want to be hugged." Could the Elmo on her list be her way of saying, "I'm an addict"? Instead of giving your children material comforts for Christmas, you should start spending time with them. Give them some emotional comfort as well.

As a parent, it is becoming increasingly harder to compete with Elmo. He even comes with toy surprises now.

Tell us what you think. Write Spectrum at editor@mcckc.edu.

Copyright 2006 Metropolitan Community College