It’s not easy being a kid these days.

Not that many years ago, life may have had its bumps and bruises, its close calls and occasional tragedies. But for the most part it was a Theo Huxtable/Beaver Cleaver (OK, Maybe Eddie Haskell) kind of world.

Today is a different story, with most kids relating more to Kelly Osbourne than Marcia Brady and youth icons tending to be anorexic, eccentric, defiant and sexually explicit. Consider a sampling of what our children are up against:

Drugs and alcohol. Schoolyard bullying and gang violence. Sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Abduction and molestation. Unsafe streets and unsafe homes. Domestic violence. Eating disorders. Teen suicide.

Not that kids have always had it easy. Since America’s inception more than two centuries ago, youths have endured war, illness, poverty, the Depression, exploitative child labor rules and countless other hardships.

The adversity facing kids diminished in post-World War II America, only to gradually resurge as U.S. culture evolved to become more complex and less rigid.

Today, being a kid is tough, and so is being a parent.

Whether their children are toddlers, adolescents or teen-agers, worrying is a way of life for most moms and dads. Is my child safe? What are her friends like? Is his attitude normal? Who is this guy who keeps calling her? Is he getting into trouble? Where is she? Why hasn’t he called home? How can I keep her on track? How can I get him back on track? What should I do? What can I do?

The questions keep coming for a generation of parents who feel increasingly overwhelmed by the challenges of growing boys and girls into healthy, productive young men and women.

One of the toughest times for children and parents alike is the pre-teen/early-teen stage of life known as the junior-high or middle-school years. Experts agree that while problems start earlier and earlier for today’s kids, the junior-high period is a key time in a child’s life.

It’s also a time when most parents need an extra dose of help and hope. They – and their kids – need clear, candid information about the challenges facing youths in the 2000s.

To help kids and their parents communicate about tough issues and learn about area resources, The Bee is holding a free Community Conversation this week. All parents and children are welcome, with the program generally geared to families with children ages 10 to 14. “Safe Families/Safe Kids” will be held Thursday at Downey High School in Modesto.

On hand to share knowledge, suggestions and resources will be the Modesto Police Department, Modesto City Schools, the Stanislaus County Office of Education, the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency and area churches. Among the topics they will discuss:

• After school programs.
• Eating disorders.
• “Straight talk” about sex and its outcomes.
• School safety.
• Internet safety.
• Probation and gangs.
• Teen pregnancy prevention.
• Sexually transmitted diseases.
• Suicide prevention.
• Tobacco education.
• Building strong study skills.
• Youth health insurance.
• Youth guidance.

Safe kids and safe families are fundamental to a safe community. Toward this end, children need to be shown how much support they have from their families, schools and communities. And parents need to be able to recognize symptoms hen their kids start slipping toward serious trouble (for a list of warning signs, please see reporter Marijke Rowland’s story today in The Bee’s Friends & Family section).

Too often, good kids and good parents don’t communicate enough about emotions, sex, depression, drugs and other difficult issues. Too often, kids – and parents – don’t know where to turn for help in a changing, complicated world. And too often, kids who go astray could have been kept on track – or can be eased back on track – with help, knowledge and candid communication.

“Safe Kids/Safe Families” is free to the public. It will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday in the Downey High School auditorium, 1000 Coffee Road. Spanish translators will be available. For free onsite child care during the meeting, please make a reservation by calling 578-2155.

Reprinted by permission of The Modesto Bee.