The Aug. 26 edition of the Times-Enterprise had a front-page article about the kids who were behaving in a less-than-acceptable manner on our public streets by loitering around the downtown areas on their way home from school. In that article, a plea went out to the parents to bring attention to the fact that their child may not be behaving in an appropriate and acceptable public manner.

I suggest that the schools require a whole household visit to the school, wherein the school and the police explain to the entire family that if your child is misbehaving unacceptably, then the parent will be held responsible for that child’s actions and serious consequences will result.

This meeting will have a contract signed by the parent or guardian and the child or children. Then, if a child misbehaves and that fact is brought to the attention of the parent, the parent will be held responsible if that child misbehaves again.

I suggest this whole family meeting occur at the school with signed documents so there can be no defense that, “I don’t take the paper, so I didn’t know about the problem.”

We already know that parents don’t read the handbook, even though some school systems require a parent signature to ensure that the parent understands the rules.

There, of course, will be those who complain that the school and police are “picking on my baby.” The probability is that if the police and school officials are knocking at your door, your child is most likely involved in or guilty of the charged infraction.

Until parents start taking responsibility for the actions of their children and make their ill-behaving children face real family consequences for bad behavior, then the future of this generation is perilous at best.

Even animal parents make their offspring behave. I’m not sure why humans believe that their children are never directly responsible for misbehavior and it was some other bad kid who talked their child into doing something wrong.

The parent is the person who should be an influence on the child — not some outside force.  It should be a parent’s love, example and, sometimes, correction that should be the influence.  

It is not the school’s responsibility to raise your child. It is the school’s responsibility to educate your child. However, this school system cares enough to bring the ill behavior to light. The parent ought to care enough to cooperate.

Kay Kramer

Thomasville