opinions please

[Mitzi]

How many of you feel that the root of a lot of crime problems stems from poor parenting, drugs or what? As a parent, I always strove to be the best mother I could. I made a lot of mistakes, however.

[cajuncop]

I would have to say that poor parenting comes into play a lot more often than most people will admit.

One of the worst calls I have to handle is when a parent say's something to the nature of, "I can't handle him/her anymore, taken 'em away." That usually makes me want to take the parent away for not doing their job.

I do realize that for the most part parents do their job the best that they can and some kids still turn out to be incorrigible.

I just really get upset when some people expect "us" to raise their kids for them.

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Without the support of our fellow officers, sometimes we have no support at all.

[This message has been edited by cajuncop (edited 05-16-2001).]

[mac90]

Mostly.

[ftrphxcop]

I have a feeling its not entirely bad parenting. Its also living situations, life choices, and a portion of the blame is companies who retain employees for x amount of years and then lay them off or fire them for the younger and cheaper generation. Combine many of these things and you get the product of angry and aggressive people who take it out on the kids and coworkers.

[officers_girl]

Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I've had enough of the excuses we give people for committing crimes. There are enough people sitting around trying to figure out why people do what they do, EASY ANSWER.......BECAUSE THEY WANT TO!!!! Everyone in society today is looking for a place to put blaim because no one is willing to take responsibility for their actions.

There are good people that come out of bad situations, i.e. abusive parents, bad neighborhoods, no good role models; and there are bad people who come out of ideal situations.

It all falls on the individual person to decide right from wrong and act upon it, and not to blaim something or someone else when they decide to do something wrong.

[shooter1201]

I'm a teacher and a cop. My sister is a heroin junky. SAME PARENTS. Go figure.....

It's all about INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY.

By the time a person is 5 years old, they KNOW 'right' from 'wrong'. THEY decide which path they will take. Not their parents. Not their neighborhood. THEY decide.

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HEARTS and MINDS

[Evnings]

Parenting has a lot to do with the way a person turns out. But poor parenting is not the only cause. Poor personal choices and a lack of consideration for others are other major causes.

[Valor55]

Officers_girl and Shooter have it straight on. It all comes down to personal choice. That's why we prosecute the violator, not their parents.

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If I wanted to be liked I would have been a fireman.

[Don]

Parents do set the moral tone in the home. But if a kid has not had the teaching of right from wrong by the time he is five or six years old, there are gonna be big problems. I know there are exceptions to every rule, we have all seen the kids from "bad" homes do real well for themselves, and the kids from "good" homes that go down the tubes.

But the fact is that parents have the obligation to raise their own kids. To teach them right from wrong. To talk to them about drugs, about alcohol, tobacco, premarital sex and on and on and on. Way too many parents just don't give a damn. Give the kid fifty bucks and get him out of your hair.

I do not by the old BS of "I did (whatever) because of (name whatever excuse you want.)" But I do think that parents need to properly shape the lives of their kids, while the kids are still little. Whether a parent wants to admit it or not, the kids are a reflection of the parents. (Again, with some exceptions.) The kid is going to mimic what he sees and hears in the home every day.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
6P1 (retired)

[spurlock]

I'm a city police officer in a small town and , I definately believe that poor parenting is one of the biggest problems that we have. I see kids everyday that are strung out and just looking for their next fix. I arrest kids that are stealing and shoplifting and even robbing people so they can score some easy cash just for the drugs! The parents of these kids don't care where they are or who they're with. The court system doesn't seem to care what happens to these kids either. I've personnally watched our judges let kids go for shoplifting felonies. I believe that we should stiffen up our laws and hold the parents of these kids responsible! I could go on and on all day long about the parents and the kids themselves, based on actual accounts and dealings with them!



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