In an effort to be completely transparent I have to tell you that I do not have any children. This clearly means that I have no frame of reference as a parent, however, I was a kid so I do have a reference point from that angle.
I'm not here to beat up on parents because I know that you have a tough enough job today as it is without someone who has no clue telling you how to do your job. I will say that it seems, as an outsider, that there is a lack of parenting going on around the country.
Compared to the following stories the whining, crying, and temper tantrums we all cringe at in public places seems almost cute. There are some kids with serious problems and also some adults that need to be spanked too.
In Peachtree, GA a fourteen year old girl has been arrested and charged with arson. Police are not sure why she started the Walmart on fire. Nobody at home saw this coming?
In Northern California a twelve year old boy shot a thirteen year old boy in a school. There is no word on what sparked this but police are investigating where he got the gun and how he got into the school with it. I'm going to bet an adult will be at fault.
In New York City a fifteen year old boy lost his arm after he was subway surfing and fell off. The train ran over his arm severing it. Sometimes you just can't stop stupid.
A five year old boy in Oklahoma City was put on a school bus by a teacher and dropped off in some random neighborhood while his dad was waiting for him in the car pool lane at the school. Police are investigating what the hell happened. You think?
Finally, two players on the Duke women's volleyball team, both black, were subjected to continuous racial slurs and taunts for an entire match at BYU. When officials went into the stands to find out who was doing the taunting not one student would point out the person. Their parents must be proud of the fine citizens they raised.
Interesting stories Dan but what's your point?
Actually I'm not sure there is one. I just found these stories, all from this week, to be disturbing and they made me uncomfortable. When young people are in the middle of violent acts it does not bode well for their future habits.
When kids are treated as an after thought by the very people parents have entrusted with their safety that makes me angry. Who puts a five year old on a bus without checking first? Can you imagine what his dad was going through waiting in the car pool lane for him? He must have been out of his mind with worry.
But the most disturbing story here is the complete break down of social norms shown by the students at BYU. Not one kid would point out the racist slob to authorities? What the hell are their parents teaching them? I find this outrageous and disgusting and every single punk in the stands should be thrown out of school.
How can we ever get over the mountain in front of us to start working together to make things better when the children have the same horrible instincts as their parents. I get that there are going to be bad kids and we can't stop that from happening, but we can stop bystanders from allowing racist taunts to go on without letting someone know who is doing it.
I feel like I need to wash my eyes out with soap just from reading about this crap.