No matter how many times we tell students and/or athletes, they don't seem to get it. Unfortunately, everybody judges and when seeing and/or reading some of the stuff online you are being judged. I think most kids are rebellious and defiant. They are screaming for the ability to be free from their parents and school and rules and anything that keeps them from doing what they want to do, but aren't understanding the consequences of their actions. What I find amusing is that they will do these behaviors, post the pictures online but get upset (and I could probably get in trouble) if I put the pictures up in my classroom or (gasp) used one as the picture for this article.
One thing I have found about young people is that they want to do adult behavior, but rarely want to have adult consequences (who does?). They are quick to "do what I want to do" on the weekend, but when called out about it or worse yet, called in about it, they are quick to have their parents come in to defend them. I had an administrator say once to a kid: "you want to be an adult?" student shakes head yes while dad is sitting with him; "adults don't have parent meetings." It was great.
Where are the parents? I can tell you this with no reservations....being a parent is the hardest job in the world to me. I don't know if what I am doing is right or wrong sometimes, but there are certain things I have zero doubts about. I will not allow my 7 year old daughter cross I-65 by herself. I will not allow my 3 year old son to walk over to the local school by himself to play basketball. I will not all them, together, to walk down the street to a friends house. I will punish them if they do any of these things.
I am not judging anybody here, but I can tell you this my children will not be perfect angels, I know this. And when they fall there will be many people who will point and say "hypocrite, look at his kids." But you can best believe that there will be a consequence, they will be policed and they will be dealt with. It might not be easy and it might not be pretty, but I will do so until they prove to be responsible adults whatever age that may be.
