And it has never been so easy to find the tools to carry out the surveillance. Robin Ihara taped her son's conversations to confirm her suspicion that he was addicted to drugs. There are commercial sprays and wipes to turn up drug residue in cars and on desktops, and products to test a child's breath for alcohol. Miniature cameras can be hidden in radios, VCRs and clocks. Parents aren't just turning to gadgets.
Private investigators say they're getting an increasing number of requests to have children tailed.
And in the last 18 months, more than 130 suspicious parents have paid a Winchester, Va., company to bring in drug-sniffing dogs to scour their homes for drugs or weapons. We can sweep through your home. Businesses, drug counselors and family therapists say that in the vast majority of cases, parents are resorting to these tactics because they suspect their children are abusing drugs or alcohol, although some parents are concerned about other dangerous activities, such as gangs. For some baby boomer mothers and fathers, who once ranted at their own parents to get out of their lives and who transformed illicit drug use into an entire culture, the notion of snooping on their children with dogs and hidden tape recorders is deeply troubling. Trust your child, give him his space, explain your actions and never, ever lie to him.