Reruns of situation comedies from the fifties and early sixties dramatize the kinds of problems that parents used to have with their children. The Cleavers scold Beaver for not washing his hands be fore dinner the Andersons punish Bud for not doing his homework the Nelsons dock little Ricky's allowance because be keeps forgetting to clean his room. But times have changed dramatically. Being a parent today is much more difficult than it was a generation ago. Today's parents must try., first of all, to control all the new distractions that tempt children away from schoolwork. At home, a child may have a room furnished with a stereo and television. Not many young people can resist the urge to listen to an album or watch MTV -- especially if it is time to do schoolwork. Outside the home, the distractions are even more alluring. Children no longer 'hang out' on a neighborhood comer within earshot of Mom or Dad's reminder to come in and do homework. Instead, they congregate in vast shopping malls, buzzing video arcades, and gleaming fast-food restaurants. Parents and school assignments have obvious difficulty competing with such enticing alternatives. Besides dealing with these distractions, parents also have to shield their children from a flood of sexually explicit materials. Today, children can find sex magazines and pornographic paperbacks in the same comer store that once offered only comics and candy. Moreover, the movies young people at tend often focus on highly sexual situations. It is difficult to teach children traditional values when films show teachers seducing students and young people treating sex as a casual sport. An even more difficult matter for parents is the heavily sexual content of programs on television. Most disturbing to parents today, however, is the increase in life-threatening dangers that face young people. When children are small, parents fear that their youngsters may 'be victims of violence. Every news program seems to carry a report about a mass murderer who preys on young girls, a deviant who has buried six boys in his cellar, or an organized child pornography ring that molests preschoolers. When children are older, parents begin to worry about their kids' use of drags. Peer pres sure to experiment with drugs is often stronger than parents' warnings. This pressure to experiment can be fatal if the drugs have been mixed with dangerous chemicals. Within one generation, the world as a place to raise children has changed dramatically. One wonders how yesterday's parents would have dealt with today's problems. Could the Andersons have kept but away from MTV? Could the Nelsons have shielded little Ricky from sexually explicit material? Could the Cleavers have protected Beaver from drugs? Parents must be aware of all these distractions and dangers, yet be willing to give their children the freedom they need to become responsible adults. It is more difficult to be a parent today because