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Hold the parents responsible 21 September 2003 ~ 19:01 From what I read in the papers, and indeed, from what I see when I�m out and about, it seems to me that society is on a downward spiral. That is to say, some young people are totally without values or respect towards others. Only today, on the bus, a group of kids got on and one tried to show the bus driver a ticket which the driver was sure did not belong to him � for a start, it was an adult ticket, and he was not an adult. When the driver asked him to get off the bus, he and all his mates (mini gangstas) were all cursing and swearing � and these youths were not as bad as some can be.The kind of things that these yobs get up to include plastering walls with graffiti, vandalising phone boxes and bus shelters, stealing cars and joyriding, and generally hanging around on the street and thusly causing nuisances of themselves. Where are the parents in all of this? When I was their age, my mum and dad always knew where I was. The same applies to my husband. Most of these kids� parents probably have no idea where their �little darlings� are up to or where they are. They refuse to believe their little �angels� are capable of doing any wrong, or maybe they just do not care. Chances are, if they were suspended from school for bullying, violence toward the teacher or any sort of mayhem, the parents would storm straight down to the school and punch the head teacher. They have no money to spend on their children yet miraculously can afford designer clothes, cigarettes, drink and Lottery tickets for themselves! I propose that the �parents� of anti-social children be held accountable for their behaviour. Where the parents are on benefits, any fines imposed should be deducted directly from their benefit cheque. It�s no use expecting them just to blankly pay a fine, because they�ll simply drag their heels. Hit them where it hurts! If they can�t afford their cigarettes for a week, maybe they�ll decide that little Johnny needs disciplining. It is not a teacher�s job to instil basic morals into their charges. Yes, I know not all yobs come from families on benefits, but it�s a fact that the vast majority do. If the parents think that society owes them a living, so will they. Of course, the parents of rich kids should be fined too, in an amount proportionate to their income, and the parents of children with mental disorders will of course be helped not punished. The problem is, if the Government ever do bring in this kind of legislation, the courts will never enact it, because all the judges and magistrates are bleeding hearts. They are too concerned with the rights of the criminals that they do not care about the rights of the victims. But if this new weapon against crime were used, maybe, just maybe, there would be some hope for the next generation.
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