This will be more of a rant post…. Kids will be kids. They will say and do some of the stupidest things when they are highly emotional, or upset. They are still learning out to let their emotions out in an acceptable way. They are still learning how to deal with major emotions when they do bubble to the surface… So when they make a mistake, we (the parents/teacher/principal/etc) are supposed to step in and give them corrective criticism and let them know, “Hey, that wasn’t the best way to handle that situation. Here is what should have been done. Here are the consequences of your actions.”
But that isn’t always the case. Some schools will involve the police and go as far as pressing charges ON A 6TH GRADER for something that was blurted out, stupidly, during a moment of anger. Why are we ruining these children’s lives over an emotion filled outburst? I can’t give much detail (to protect all parties involved—also the child in question isn’t my own.)The threat was serious enough to be punished by suspension. Or even expulsion. I do not believe criminal charges should have been a consequence of mere words. Now this child will be viewed as a criminal for the rest of his life because of something on his record. And half the people doing the judging wont even ask him the backstory, they will just see it or hear about it and form their own opinions of him. How fair is that?
In the world we live in today, you have to worry about your kids growing up too fast. You have to worry about what they will be exposed to via social media. You have to worry about your daughters being disrespected by boys. And you have to worry about your boys being falsely accused of being a boy that didn’t respect a girls boundaries. And, you have to worry about a school pressing charges on your child for saying the wrong thing out of anger, instead of simply correcting their behavior and giving them a punishment that is more fitting for their age group.
Why are we making criminals of 6th graders? They shouldn’t have a criminal record for a simple verbal mistake. We have to do better for our kids. We have to mold and shape them and stop taking the simple way out as parents/guardians/school officials. Pressing charges isn’t always the way to go. I would hate to catch a charge every time I, as an adult, say something to or about someone out of anger. I would never get out of prison. We have to do better. We need to make common sense common again.
Anonymommy 