SPECIAL- Editor's Note

In the musical adaptation of the famous J.M. Barrie story, Peter Pan famously sings "Growing up is awfuller/Thanall the awful things that ever were." Fifty-three years after the words were first sung on Broadway, growing up still hasn't gotten any less awful. But while some obstacles like bullies, homework, and acne are timeless, the current crop of parents and children also face a dilemma that previous generations never knew: what is the best way to deal with behavioral disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD?

Is medication the answer? Can therapy without medication work? Do these afflictions that went undiagnosed in years past even exist? Are there some situations that are just too extreme for even medical science to solve? Courteney Stuart examines all these questions and more in these pages.

That's not to say today's kids are the only ones to ever act up, as our interviews with several Charlottesville celebrities show. Which youthful indiscretions would folks like newscaster Beth Duffy and civil liberties attorney John Whitehead most like to forget? The answers may surprise you.

So settle down, class, and pay attention to today's lesson. Growing up may not be getting any easier, but whether it's in the form a medical solution to a complex issue or a funny anecdote about a regrettable decision, there is always hope.

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