A recent story in a national daily really had me wondering. The article revolved around an off duty police officer who had been mugged by teenagers. What’s new I hear you ask? They were not teenagers, they were children, some as young as 9 or 10. So? The attack occurred at one am in the morning!
What I would like to know is where were the parents? Why weren’t these kids safely tucked up in bed asleep? Some of the individuals have been identified, arrested and brought before the courts. Surely it is now time to also prosecute the parents for negligence? Not only should we prosecute the parents, it may also be time to consider curfews for children not accompanied by parents.
To have children roaming the streets at these hours is not only an indictment of our current society, it also bodes poorly for the future. These kids face many dangers out on the streets and whilst they may feel there is safety in numbers, kids have a tendency to disperse quickly when threatened by authorities. This is when they are most at risk. Harm from rival groups, predators and the environment are very real.
For the good of a future we must act to keep these kids off the streets, in school and protected from their own innocence as much as anything else.
Hi
I agree
We should not have to wonder where our kids are if we are practicing responsible parenting
We have to restrict our pets movement so why not our children.
The case of the 7 yr old child recently run over by a train.
Why was he even out of his home at that time of morning
What were his parents doing to not even notice he was not home
Were they sleeping in and if so why was the home not securely locked so that he could not go out without his parents noticing
They may sit up and take notice no when it is too late
Sadly most times by the time they do take notice
IT IS TOO LATE
Too many kids go to school without their parents either not there or not seeing them at all in the morning
Where has the family unit gone
Supervise you kids rather than following your own pursuits and they might just survive to be responsible adults
Luv Deb