Finally, light at the end of the tunnel. I was starting to think affluenza was doing irreversible damage. Amy Watson's letter to the editor in the 4-10-03 Manhasst Press, "The Time is Ripe for Change", gives hope to this frustrated parent who looks towards the educational process as not just a builder of academia; but also to be environmentally friendly in youth character. Recent economic prosperity has contributed to the large migration in Manhasset. Those seeking to improve their quality of life, as well as the educational process for their children continue to come from Queens, Brooklyn and surrounding areas. We are very fortunate our system of government allows us to meet and often exceed our monetary goals. However, for those of us who did not come over on the Mayflower, we often forget past generations of hard work, perseverance and integrity, which enables us today to bathe new generations in the excess. True, character can only be built in the home. However, no matter how hard parents try, it's difficult for the child not to succumb to its surroundings. The environment inside the home can be controlled, the environment outside the home cannot. These two environments will continue to conflict unless we, as parents, cooperate towards an even playing field. No one said it's easy. Nevertheless, we have an obligation to teach our children life's qualities, not quantities, starting by example, or risk cultural recession.

It's human nature for people to mimic each other and congregate; we all want to be a part of "the group." Our diverse backgrounds make it especially difficult not to succumb to multiple subcultures.

Our one common denominator, money, takes up a lot of our time. We worked hard to move to SUVuille, only to work harder to keep up with the Jones's. When is enough, enough? Ms. Watson is right, we need to get back to core values. Without a unified "Back-To-Basics" environment, our children's expectations will be disappointing. We need to step back and re-evaluate our objectives. Should we continue in the path of not teaching our children the value of limits, they stand to suffer from consumer obesity, resulting in top-heavy society. As with any structure without a strong foundation, it is doomed to crumble.

Dennis Dionisiou