Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, Illinois
Teacher: Barbara Downey
Responsibility: Whose Job is it Really?
By Elisabeth Slaydon
Grade 12
School shootings and teenage drinking are two prime examples of a lack of responsibility of both teens and parents. Could we be forcing our children to grow up too fast by giving too many responsibilities too soon? Or could we be ignoring our role of personal responsibility in improving the quality of life in our communities today?
Many examples can be examined to attempt to answer some of our questions. First of all, teenage violence: is it an outcry of rebellion or a desperate outreach for attention? We are living in a society where both parents are often forced to work. Parents can not be aware of children’s whereabouts all of the time when the older children are usually left in charge of the younger. Perhaps if the parents were more aware, we would not be so shocked when the teens do such rash things.
Recently, the nation watched in awe as news broke of the Columbine shootings. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a killing spree in their high school, killing twelve classmates, one teacher, and themselves. The list of injuries seemed never ending. Questions automatically arose. How could their seemingly good parents not notice them making several self assembled bombs? Maybe putting a little extra interest into these distraught boys could have prevented this tragedy.
I have to use myself as an example, however. I always deemed my parents as overprotective or nosy when they restricted me from going to some of the wild parties or asked who would be attending. I always wished I could stay out later because everyone else was doing it. Now that I’ve heard tales of the parties I missed, and actually seen some of the things that happen, such as drunk driving and overdoses, I’m glad they were over protective. Some parents just need to learn how and when to draw the line.
Take, for instance, a drinking party actually put on by parents. It was all part of a senior skip day, and David and Nancy Simmons thought it would be better for the kids to drink under adult supervision than be driving to unsupervised parties. What seemed to be a harmless idea turned into a nightmare in a flash. When one girl rode home with a guy who had been drinking, she lost her life.
Parents are dropping their responsibility to be a role model for children when they sponsor drinking parties. If it starts with drinking, where will the line be drawn? Drugs? Sex? Illegal things are now simply being okayed by parents. I read a poll recently that shocked me: the average age kids start drinking is twelve! Parents also cannot be too quick to trust their teenagers. Once a teen gets a license, they often take on more responsibilities than they can handle. Teens are getting jobs and more hours at earlier ages, but this is inevitably downplaying education. I, from personal experience, know how motivated a teen must be and how hard it is to keep up on school work.
For years now, parents have been expecting other people to be good role models for their kids. The president, the police, and teachers are only a few examples of people we expect to be role models. But hasn’t anyone learned recently that we can’t always put our trust in them? Who didn’t watch the over exuberant coverage of our president’s hearings? We’ve seen the repeats of President Clinton denying sexual relations with someone other than his wife while in the Oval Office. Then the real shocker: he lied! Was he punished severely for embarrassing both himself and the nation? No. It is a sad fact that he is who our children are supposed to look up to.
Who can parents trust? Perhaps only themselves. Sure, kids are going to be influenced by outside sources, but isn’t it best if they start with their parents as their role models? That should be one of the parents’ top priorities no matter how busy life can get them. It is hard, no one is denying that, but it is a must for healthy, happy children any more.
Teenagers, of course, cannot be left without any blame or responsibility for their actions. The lack of communication skills sometimes prevents them from sharing problems with others, and as we know, bottling up feelings, only leads to emotional distresses and more problems. Sometimes even the best of parents can have children who just snap. They cannot be completely to blame for every impulse their child decides to take on. Children need to learn gradually that personal responsibility is a role that we each must take for ourselves.
By letting our kids be kids and gradually teaching them responsibility, maybe the need for attention/violence will end. More parental attention is essential and cannot be a bad thing. This is how we can encourage our role of personal responsibility in improving the quality of life in our community early on.
Questions
1) Many marriages take place today. Most people prefer to be married. In Manus, the betrothal entices couples to be married. In the United States, the government merely sees you as a whole. In Manus, people actually invest in finding you a good match. Married couples really do not gain much from marriage. In fact, they have things such as marriage taxes etc. to worry about.
2) 33 years - Be nice to each other. Take care of each other even if it is one sided. Never go sleep mad at one another.
42 years - Be truthful and listen to each other’s point of view even if you do not agree.
15 years - Try to understand each other. Remember each other’s feelings. Talk- because they won’t know what’s wrong if you don’t tell them. Be friends.
22 years - People change, you make choices and deal with the changes for better or worse.
20 years - Respect each other. You have to give each other space to do their own thing.
26 years - Communications is the most important key to a successful marriage.
20 years - Be a little deaf dumb and blind. Choose your battles. Remember to have fun.
28 years - Mutual respect is essential. You need to be friends.
10 years - Don’t let the bad times and fights overcome your love. Talk things out.
14 years - Don’t try to run each other’s life. Give each other space to be happy.
3) We need to "dematerialize society without reducing the quality of life." We need to provide economic opportunities for children no matter what their race. We need to widen the socio-economic "gap between races to close it." We need to help the rich and the poor, not just have the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
4) I think our community should have more after school programs for children to be involved in. Today, many homes have both parents working which sends the children home to an empty house. I believe more activities would make both parents and students feel better about themselves and encourage social activity.
5) I think it is sad that a child would feel secure temporarily substituting a doll for their mother. That shows children early on that real parenting and authority are less necessary. "If people don’t see an economic opportunity, they drop out of civil society." People are starting to put such a low value on self quality and importance.
6) Everything we do involves democracy, lawyers help break it down. They help the "little guy" advance in the world instead of being stepped on. Lawyers help us from being unnumbered.
7) I prefer punitive damages because it puts more focus on one client rather than paying off one loud client. Maybe if we quit letting people step on us and realize that we have more power than we realize, we could let these people know what we want instead of letting them decide for us.
8) The baby boomers will be starting new businesses after retirement which will crate more jobs for the gen xers. The baby boomers have more experience to pass on which will hopefully prevent things such as failed first businesses etc. Retirement will hopefully push some bored baby boomers with big hearts into volunteer work which will boost society in many ways.
9) I think that Mr. Clinton’s ideas are very nice but the likelihood of them becoming reality are slim. Large businesses seems to be making enough money. Giving them a tax credit would only be unfair to the smaller businesses that cannot afford such contributions to the poor. And promoting debt concurring things instead of commercial loans can only mean one thing: deeper in debt. That cannot be a good way to help the poor when it will only take away jobs from the indebted businesses. Giving the poor cheaper loans is only promoting being poor. Doesn’t this reflect upon welfare where some people prefer to be living off of the government instead of getting jobs? I don’t think that any of these proposals would help the poor very much.
10) They both care deeply about children and raising them the right way. They are both compassionate for the fortunate and unfortunate so no one gets turned away. They both started programs to help the children