I’m a little more than disturbed because of a news story regarding 8 teenagers that have been arrested for beating another teen so that they could post on YouTube. Depending on the report, the motive of putting this on YouTube may or may not have been the driving force but it definitely was one of the motives for this attack. Other reports suggest that the 8 acted in a retaliation against Victoria Lindsay because she threatened them on her MySpace account.
This brings up so many areas to discuss that I don’t think it can all be covered in this blog. One of which is what kind of values do we have as a society that we would commit such crimes as this to post onto a website for “shock” factor? This is not a necessarily unique thought. Shock videos seem to be all the rage but to premeditate such an attack as this for that reason?
Another area is the home values being taught to these children. There are so many instances where we are not succeeding in the homes to teach these kids any type of value. A review of the news shows this. Kids are disrespectful. They lack any motivation for anything that will contribute to the society as a whole. They want everything handed to them and are unwilling to work for anything they are given. They lie, cheat, steal, and act as though we just owe them the world. Where is the failure?
This action should serve as a wake up call that something needs to change. If this goes unchallenged in all of our communities, it will snowball out of control. Many uncreative individuals will copycat this in some way because once its been done, it will be repeated.
I feel for all of the kids involved but mostly I feel for their parents. Actually, I’m a bit mixed on that as well. I couldn’t imagine what is going through their minds and hearts right now but I also think that there are bigger home issues here that need to be addressed. If their lives are so horrible that they have to resort to this as “fun”, maybe the parents should be taking a more interested approach to their kids’ lives.
I can’t say that all kids will turn out perfect but if you, as a parent, aren’t doing everything you can to help them integrate into society, you probably shouldn’t be a parent. I’m not saying that you should be totally focused on their lives as to forget about your own, but so many kids are neglected even though they may be in the same room. Just because you are around them, doesn’t mean that you are a good parent. Providing food, clothing and shelter are not enough. You need to be intimately involved with their lives. Talk to them, let them talk to you. Be honest with them, answer their questions. Know what they are doing in school, know their friends, don’t be afraid to implement yourself into their lives.
Granted, there is some tact that needs to be shown. Kids need their privacy but there are limits. You are responsible for them as parents. Take that responsibility and work with them to help mold their lives. Give them opportunities to scrape their knees but be close by with the bandage, peroxide and a hug. You may not do everything right but if you are trying they will notice.
Be humble. Know that you can screw up and its OK but let your kids know that you do screw up. Be humble enough to apologize.
When I started this, I didn’t realize that it would be about parenthood but I do think that is a big problem in our society. We don’t parent. We don’t entwine ourselves with our children’s lives enough to know what they are doing. I’ll admit that I have issues with some of the things my oldest daughter does and says. I place limits on here but I don’t try to control her. I try to work with her and when I need to be tough, I am. When I need to back off, I do (most of the time.) Its important to be an authority in their lives but its also important to be personal with them.
There are a lot of things about parenthood that I can post here. I’m no expert but I know what works for me and my kids. Sometimes I do good, sometimes I totally screw it up. My kids aren’t perfect and each day is a struggle between child and parent but we manage fairly well.
I hope that, if you are a parent, you will evaluate your relationship with your children to see if you are aware enough to know what your kids are up to. If you aren’t intimate in their lives, don’t be surprised when they do something like this.
