Another Child Stabbed to death

[anancientrace]

Sorry if I am stealing FreeBBC's thunder. Another death, another child lost and likely others youngsters sought for the slaying. Grieving parents and what?

As an old git my take on youngsters. 'cuse me let me just put me teeth in. Ah that is better.

Let us start with the positives. Most of our young people give me hope. Clever, enthusiastic and looking forward to their future. Normal life is going on and remember that.

Music making, sports, youth clubs, Cubs, Brownies, Scouts and Guide groups. Leisure activities of all sorts. Just watching Choir of The Year awards on "Songs of Praise" last night - disappointment for 4 of the 6 choirs taking part but joy from the 2 winning schools and appreciation from their disappointed opponents.

But when you start looking at that same group and wondering which may be influenced by other elements and may start wearing weapons under whatever passes for surplices, then it saddens me I have to think like that.

Stories of run ins with the young can be echoed all over the world. Myself included. But the answer is or rather was already there. Responsible adults.

Rory Bremner on Saturday in his British TV show had a darkly funny sketch on Robert Mugabe's horrendous behaviour in Zimbawe as being a form of attention seeking. "The world does nothing!" I found it hard to laugh but I believe it is true. I will not insult any youngster with likening them to that world leader but the phrase attention seeking comes to mind in this issue too.

My opinion is that a small element of youngsters have been testing our (adult/authority figures) resolve for several generations and here we are. It was happening before I was born, during my childhood and since.

"All it takes for tyranny to prosper is for good men(and women) to do nothing". Used in the Zimbawe case too over the weekend but it again is relevant.

With regards to youngsters that misbehave - in law we adults are not ALLOWED to do anything (worthwhile) and those taunting their elders know it. "Touch me and I will have the law on you!" In my case, recognising me on top of a fairly crowded bus, the assailants one of whom had threatened to "stab me" started boasting about it in loud voices in front of witnesses. How untouchable is that?

So, powers that be. I repeat. Here we are. Wringing our hands. Welcome to the real world and tell us when we the majority can start checking the tyranny in our midst and not worry we will be arrested for objecting to being verbally abused, stabbed or shot.

But remember, this situation is savable - the tyranny is small in number (and in my case stature). I could have squash him like a fly. Yes, small in number, now. In comparison to the population of good people both youngsters and adults.

My heartfelt sympathies to the Regis family and all those other family and friends who have lost loved ones.

[BFUK]

Food for thought.

[Victor29]

I blame the parents.
Time was when one parent was the breadwinner and the other the homemaker. In todays world it doesn't matter which one is which but the system would still work.

The idea was that the homemaker did all the domestic work so when the breadwinner came home he/she could relax and enjoy his/her children, evening meal etc. The children came home from school to a warm clean home and happy relaxed parents.

Children from broken homes ie, with a single parent who had to be both breadwinner and homemaker were not expected to fare as well because of an element of unintentional neglect caused by the absence of the other parent.

Most kids are brought up this way now as both parents go our to work. They are both too tired to spend time with their kids and still have domestic jobs to do when they get home. Kids are neglected, allowed long periods of unsupervised time and not instructed in good citizenship any more.

But parents don't work to put food on the table, they work for the playstations to keep kids quiet. For the second car, the third holiday, the kitchen gadgets, computers, MP3s etc. etc. The working classes are still poor classes but they gain wealth by neglecting their children.

My kids came from a 'broken home' but I made sure I was at home when they went to school and I was home when they came home. I claimed benefits and any handouts I could rather than leave them running round the streets taking drugs and bashing up telephone boxes and mugging old ladies. I did the housework (or not if I didn't have time), when they were at school so I had time to play monopoly with them in the evening. Even their estranged Dad gave them quality time as he had to set it aside just for them. So in a way they fared better than some kids from 'complete homes'.

[SFB]

I'm sure that Anan and Vic and a couple of other older members will agree with me when I say that we thought we knew it all when we were young, but looking back we realise that we knew very little?

The gospel says that will always be the way, there's no cure for that disease.

The problem as I see it is that parents always seem to be trying harder, perhaps too hard to give their children a 'better life' than the one they had and it's my opinion that this can only end in chaos unless something is done to curb spiralling values?

[BFUK]

Can I ask how many children you have SFB?

[SFB]

You most certainly can RPM, I had two but lost them.
If that sounds careless of me, I should explain that after the divorce their mother was awarded custody.

[anancientrace]

Can I ask how many children you have SFB?

I have no children. RPM - I was asked a while back the same question, as was everyone on the site - by FreeBBC was it? I was afraid he wanted to eat any offspring.

As a younger married man I considered I was not able to cope with kids, as my reactions were coloured by how I was dealt with in child care. You do not send child to bed without supper for crying or wash their mouths out with carbolic soap for swearing do you? Exactly.

No I was very badly prepared for fatherhood - and as my maternal grandparents put my mother into fostering and (I thought) my mother put me into council child care, Mrs Anan and I decided to break the bad precedents set by the two previous generations. I have been a god father though and loved it.

[SFB]

Oye Anan, are you SFB now?

Wait to be asked, OK?

OK, how many children don't you have Anan?

[anancientrace]

Oye Anan, are you SFB now?

Wait to be asked, OK?

OK, how many children don't you have Anan?

I refer the dishonourable gentleworm to my earlier answer. "sulk"

[nikii]

I might as well not go out, I will probably get stabbed to death