Troubled Kids, What Are Parents to Do?

by Celine Elveus (BPRW)

As gas prices and the cost of food are rising, so is parents’ anxiety over their children and the paths that they choose. Some parents may feel that they are at a crossroads with their children. Working multiple jobs to keep the family afloat seldom leaves sufficient time for parents to bond with their offspring, which leads them to raise themselves or be raised by television and friends. As disturbing as this sounds, some parents, especially single mothers, do not have the luxury of staying at home to nurture their children. Yes, it is a luxury for some to be able to watch and experience their children’s growth. They instead have to work to keep a roof over their heads, dress them and most importantly, put food on the table. They become absentee parents. What else are they to do?

With the parents’ inability to properly raise their children, they turn to what they know best; television and sometimes gangs. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that those alternatives are detrimental to those children’s welfare. Reading the newspaper these days, there is nothing positive being said about children. They are turning to violence at a much younger age than they used to. A week ago, there was a story in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper about a couple of twelve-year-old girls that entered an elementary school and ransacked it. At that age, they are supposed to be playing with dolls. In the same paper and all over the news as well, last week, a fifteen-year-old boy murdered a fourteen year old girl. What could be in a child’s mind at fifteen to cause him to commit murder? Nowadays, each time a paper is printed, there is at least one story about teenagers engaging in criminal activities. What are the parents to do?

When we read these horrible stories about those children, we wonder where their parents are. It is true that some parents neglect their children when they could have been there for them. However, just as mentioned above, some parents are struggling just to keep their heads above water. They need help maintaining stability in their lives and in their children’s lives. In that case, the community in which they live in needs to step up and lend a helping hand to the parents by providing services that can help the children. There need to be more children’s services and free after school programs that will keep minors in school longer. Teachers and educators can volunteer or charge minimal fees to tutor and mentor the neighborhood children. There also need to be weekend programs with counseling services for children dealing with problems at home. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, it costs 19,000 dollars to house an inmate. If we pay attention to the kids early on, it will save the 19,000 dollars used to incarcerate them in the future and we will have more outstanding citizens.