Spy Kids

They’re watching you right now.
They counted every beer you drank during last night’s Red Sox game.
They see you sneaking out to the garage for a smoke.
They know if you’ve got a gun, and where you keep it.
They’re your kids, and they’re the National Security Agency of the Nanny
State.

That's how my column in today's Boston Herald begins. It was inspired by my daughter Alex's recent trip to the pediatrician, during which she was grilled about her parent's bad behavior. "Do your parents drink? Do you think it's too much? Do they smoke? Are there drugs in your house? Does your daddy own a gun?"

All these questions asked, of course, without the knowledge or consent of parents.

Working on this topic, I discovered that this is a "health care" strategy being pushed by the American Academy of Pediatricians. Some doctors claim they are required to ask intrusive questions about children, sexual conduct, and the like whether Mom likes it or not.

The AAP even posted the following on their website:

"The health risks to the adolescents are so impelling that legal barriers and deference to parental involvement should not stand in the way of needed health care."

Yikes.