I am an avid reader and often I come across things that jump off the pages. According to the Mobile Press Register, dated September 6, 2008, a not so funny thing leaped from page six and hit me in the face. A 31-year-old mother was charged with second degree murder. She is charged with allegedly driving her 15-year-old son and his gang related friends to a fight. The incident ended in a fatal shooting.
On September 3, 2008, I was at a local high school for a scheduled meeting between the principal and some parents. The parents were seeking answers as to why their teenaged son had been physically assaulted and hit in the head with a baseball bat the day prior. While I was sitting in the administrative office waiting room an all out melee ensued. The children who were identified as gang related and non gang related who also had been waiting to see the principal began what eventually led to numerous fights among students. Other parents who had been waiting also incited the problem, and a couple of them hit students with a sense of glee. It took about one hour and fifteen minutes before they were able to bring calm to the situation. The Police were summoned but did not arrive until after the fights were under control.
I have not been readily exposed to gangs since I have resided on the Gulf Coast Region. The tragedy whether gangs exist or not is not my concern at this time. My concern is the distraction that children impose on themselves that not only inhibit their well beings but that of others who are pursuing the American dream. The odds are stacked against minority children each morning they open their eyes. When you enter this into the equation of a competitive work force, you can not afford to have the continued self inflicted gunshot wounds. That is not taking care of things that you can positively do yourself, such as fully investing in an education. There are many venues that our young girls and boys can validate their existence rather than wasting it on turf fights and marijuana smoke.
The pulse of the country is beating a lot slower these days and the excitement you are seeing comes from the anxiety of people not knowing when the economic situation is going to improve. Hopefully, teenagers entering young adulthood are paying close attention. Those that are not prepared for this ever competitive work market are destined for struggle. An eighteen-year-old female told me she was truly embarrassed at a job interview recently. She said the manager told her she was the better person for the job (Hardees) but he gave the job to another eighteen-year-old girl who had a high school diploma....
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2 comments:
There are so many distractions in the world today. It's so easy to get thrown off course. Your right children are distracted so easy. It is like that where i come from as well. If they don't wake up and take advantage of their education they will be left behind.
When I read about some of the things parents are doing these days, it is easy to see why children are having problems growing up to be able to work and take care of themselves in today's world. If the parents don't teach their children how to behave at school, respect authority figures and get along with others, how are they going to be able to function on a job? These are some of the skills needed to maintain employment. Do parents want to be financilly resposible for their children indefinately? Parents need to be the leaders and positive role models. They need to teach their children how to behave appropriately at school and in the community.
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