Weekly Question

Are we too soft on Kids?

It's a pretty well known fact that nowadays kids seem to get away with just about everything they want to. The lack of discipline in children is plain to see, but just who is to blame for this? Society? Parents? The Government???
Well how about all three...

I fully believe that the root of all the problems now in society with troubled teens, and increasingly younger kids giving lip and staying out late lies with society itself, the parents and the government.

Lets look at the problems of late, all of which make the news, such as the Hoodies culture, are these the total yobs that everyone is led to believe? I don't think half of them are. It is just a case that the media has given the impression that the Hoodie is part of the yob culture. Most Hoodies are probably teens that have been embroiled in a fashion statement, and it's also a good way of hiding teenage acne amongst boys. Granted the Hoodie has been involved in lots of crimes, and they wear the had so CCTV cannot identify them, but those are rare cases.

What worries me now is the amount of gangs, and kids carrying knives. This is the real problem, and none of that is been tackled by the government, or the parents of some of these children. It's all very well saying "I need it for protection", but why carry it if you have no intention of using it? The thing is you can always use a knife without intending to, and someone can wind up injured or worse DEAD, no knife, no injuries, and someone still stays alive.
A knife amnesty will not work, but what will? Well how about making these teens feel safer on the streets? How about clearing up the run down areas? How about putting more police on the beat? The government won't do that as it will cost them too much, instead they go for the cheapest option, but what about the murderer who needs to dispose of the weapon...? Oh knife amnesty, easy, one murder unsolved, one murderer walking free.

Another of my biggest concerns are the 7 and 8 year old kids, walking our streets, smoking, and causing havoc, they get taken back to their parents and the parents are either terrified of them, or just can't be bothered with them. Why are they like it though? Well one of my thoughts for it is the lack of discipline in the schools. When I was at primary school, we used to get the belt if we misbehaved too much, and we were more disciplined, we did as teachers said because there was a kind of fear there. It was that unspoken fear and respect (and that is the key - respect), that gave us the discipline that we needed. Now the teachers of some schools cant even give lines, detentions have to be booked in advance, and there is absolutely no physical punishment allowed at all.
It's no wonder kids behave like they do.

I mentioned it briefly in another paragraph, but lets take the parents. Now I will hold up my hands and say that I have smacked my kids in the past when they have been naughty, and I have only done it when I knew talking would not help, especially in situations that could be dangerous. Simply because if you associate pain with something that you have done, there is a tendency that you won't do it again. But most of the time I just talk in a reasonable voice to them, and treat them with respect. Respect earns respect, so it is best to start early, and if you give your child respect in the home, they will more than likely treat others with a similar respect.

So are we to soft on our kids?

Well I think that in many ways we are, kids have everything they want nowadays, mobile phones, computers, iPods, Playstations, etc. But are they grateful for the material things?? Not really, we do treat our kids to softly we allow them to do what they want, when they want. If we want the future kids to be free from anarchy, and law abiding citizens, we have to put changes in place now. It's not only the parents that have to help their own kids, treat them with respect, and punish them when they have done wrong. But most importantly it is up to the government to do something, about the society that the kids are growing up in.

Personally, with the current government, I don't hold out much hope.