My high horse

Please excuse me for one moment while I step onto my high horse:

Apparently, within the last few weeks a group of six high school seniors decided to go into their school auditorium and commit an estimated $100,000 worth of vandalism. This included but was not limited to breaking seats and other items and also pushing a grand piano off the stage. This incident has created quite a stir the community. Folks are, quite justly in my opinion, calling for the heads of these particular students in order to make an example of them. Many "community leaders" have said that while these students have done something wrong and should suffer consequences for those actions they should not be the only ones held responsible. The school, the community, and the churches should also take the blame for "failing" these young people. While they should be punished to some extent they should not apparently have to pay restitution or suffer any jail time. This has been called a prank and the idle play of young boys. People have questioned where the school officials were but have yet to question the judgment of the students involved.

I, needless to say, have many problems with the whole situation least of which is where the school officials were. My biggest problems lie with everyone trying to "save" these poor, misguided individuals. As near as I can tell these kids were of sound mind and body and made a clear decision to do what they did. They were the ones who went into a public building and destroyed public property. They were the ones who committed a felony offense. It was not their parents or the community or the churches or the school officials. It was the students themselves that committed this atrocity. They failed themselves.

Letting these children go with minor punishments for a major offense will not help them into adulthood. While it may seem "unfair" that these "good" kids may serve jail time and start their adult lives with "the scar" of this incident that it what is called for. Many people have to live with the consequences of the bad decisions they made on their way into adulthood. Children raising children because they decided to have sex before marriage. Adults deal with drug addiction because they decided to take that first hit. Friends living without friends because one of them decided to drive drunk and someone else decided not to stop them. These are all consequences people live with everyday. If we save these children from themselves they will grow into adults that have no understanding how the world really works. They will grow up thinking that someone will always come and save them and when someone doesn't they will become bitter and unproductive members of society. That doesn't sound like salvation to me.

As a parent I understand the need to protect my children. As a parent I understand wanting what is best for them. As a parent I also understand that I cannot save my children form every ill, especially those brought on by themselves. These kids will be best served by having to deal with the real consequences of their very real actions. They can no longer be "saved" by others stepping in and erasing what they did. Their slate cannot be wiped clean by anything other than them stepping up and learning from their experience. After this incident I hope that they will understand that bad decisions have bad consequences. I also hope that they understand that they are still young and have a long time to make up for the bad decisions of their youth. They can and will be better people after learning the lessons of this incident. That is if we, as a community, step in and "do the right thing".

Thank you, that horse can go back to the stable because I am now done.

Life now

Some sage advice
Originally uploaded by gibj.

The kids are doing great. The big one can now take care of the little one. It makes things a little easier.