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Monday, July 30, 2007

Where Have All The Parents Gone?

This is just another example of how young children are running free to the point of destruction. 12 and 14 year old boys, with enough boredom, or anger, or whatever the case may be, going to a store and destroying and stealing property. Where are their parents? Where is any influence in their young lives telling them that what they are doing is wrong? Has no one told them that destroying another person's property is a bad idea?

In my opinion, the parents of these children should be held at least partially responsible. The parents are supposed to teach the children values and respect for others. These are their children, and they have a certain amount of responsibility until those children are adults.

When my oldest son, who was 4 at the time, developed a bit of a klepto problem, we dealt with it strictly and immediately. He still does it around the house now and then, but he is punished each time. And it becomes further between each time. When he stole something from a store, we made him take it back, apologize, pay for it, and kept it from him. A candy bar once, a pen another time. We paid for them, and then threw them away. It upset him terribly, but now he is more willing to work for the money to buy these things. He is learning that there are consequences to actions, and that there are ways of getting something that is desired, without stealing. Where was that sort of teaching for these boys? Where are the parents in all this?

Does anyone else think the parents should be responsible for their children's actions?

3 comments:

Cassidy said...

I completely agree that the parents should be held at least partially responsible. As parents it's our job to teach our children right from wrong, and if we fail in that job it is mostly our fault not the child's when they do something wrong.

Shana said...

True. The kids have some responsibility, because they did make the decision, but the parents are the ones that create the building blocks for decision-making, and if they fail in those simple teachings, they they are responsible.

I guess that's another reason why we home school. We want to be the ones to make sure our kids are making the right decisions, not some stranger with different ideas that don't line up with our own.

onemotherslove said...

I remember taking a button from a craft store once when I was little. Having to return it & apologize made a big impression on me.

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