The Inside of My Brain

Opinion: Action Will Save Your Children From Gangs

When your kid decides to go out on a Friday night, ask him where he’s going. If your kid goes out with a friend or girlfriend of questionable behavior, get to know her parents and her life. If your social circle of adult friends consists mostly of people who have gang relations, separate yourselves from them. If you cut the fat out of the problem, the solution will be much easier to digest.

Kids who get killed by gang violence are allowed to eat the bullet by a lack of interest on the part of the parent to invest in his/her life. Special circumstances are understandable, such as working two jobs and having no husband/wife to look after the child. But if the child gets around enough people street or otherwise, his teaching will be certified by the world, and not by the people who brought him/her into it.

The adults don’t make it any better. Not because they ignore it, or that they don’t care, but that some of them have relations with families who engage in the very activity that puts your child in danger. Association is comfort for most people in that case because ultimately they know you won’t turn their family or family members in regardless of their gang activity. In short, they’ve been told not to snitch and/or don’t believe in snitching.

Community leaders should also take that advice and spread it towards their audience and/or any government agency. Anyone whose been kissing the behind of those who bring the product in should be separated from relation. I know we have to wash our hands in the dirt as part of the job, but that dirt will still be on your hands when you’re done.

But let’s now ask another question: If you take the control and you finally get your kids away from the gangs, what do you do with your child?

Getting a child some after-school work, or even a regular job is a start. Teach him the credit system, that sure as hell going to be important to him now since society deems you unfit without a good rating. Teach him as well that education is in and out of school and that he should never stop learning. Just tell them something other than “Oh, just go do what you want”.

I must admit that I don’t have any children, but I have been the quaint observer to other people taking care of their kids. I can’t tell you what to do with your kids once you’ve established what to steer them away from. I can tell you that it’s a worthy investment to get into your child like you would a dinner plate. The result doesn’t have to be that the kid turns out to be a genius, but that your child survives and becomes something of a human being.

Posted by Matthew at March 28, 2006 08:57 AM | TrackBack