Which gang should my 4-year-old join?

Why not just let him grow up and make his own informed decision as to which, if any, he wants to join.

What is wrong with parents these days? No wonder there are so many messed up kids shooting schools...

Wow. And I thought having to live in a place like Darfur would have been unlucky. Being born in this country, where dreams come true for millions, and being forced to live a life that gives you only two ways out, is very disheartening.

Ditto to all of your comments.

this is the kind of passionate involvement in parenting that the pundits and cynics are telling us doesn't exist anymore.

I hope he ends up in a gang of orphans because these thwo parents dont deserve to have their reproductive organs. Gangs are a stupid choice, the greatest one in the world is the U.S. Army.

What?...

I wonder if they are married or if the Mom is just "his baby's mama"?

I also wonder if this entire situation could have been prevented if we had better sex education in our schools.

I get the feeling the pre-gang member their currently fighting over wasn't exactly apart of their detailed 5 Year plan they wrote about in their Anthony Robbins Success Journals.

How does that old quote go, "For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost."

For want of a condom --- we now have to deal with these knuckleheads screaming at each other in Blockbuster over which gang their baby will join.

Everybody knows gang allegiances are passed through the maternal bloodline.

So the mother is a Crip, and the father is a Westside Baller. Hmmm. Sounds to me like we have the makings of a FABULOUS movie musical. I'm thinking it's a little 'West Side Story', mixed with a dash of 'Kramer Vs. Kramer', but with the urban street feeling of 'Step Up 2: The Streets!'

What is wrong with these parents? I mean Dad clearly has some anger issues, but really they are both trying to do what they think is best for their child. And in a country where we spend more money on corporate bailouts then we do on public education, it is doubtful that their child will be afforded the same benefits as many of us. So they are trying to make sure that their son has friends and a future (of sorts).

I am not saying that getting the kid into a gang is a good idea, I am saying that if they were a pair of W.A.S.P.s arguing about Harvard vs. Yale, this wouldn't be news.

parents should have to pass a "new mommy and daddy exam" before a new baby is brought into this world. if you fail, your kid's taken away.

take them out back, shoot em both. put the kid in foster care. people like this are disgusting and need to be shipped back from whence they came

McConway, you are right on target! It should be called "The Parental Aptitude Test" and should be administered at the ob/gyn and prenatal care facilities.

I hope the police removed the child from this environment! Who thinks it's okay to argue over which gang a TODDLER belongs to?!

At least the kid's going to be tough.

Well, to be fair, I've been getting into arguments with my wife as to which guild our two year old should join on WoW. We had some trouble with race, too, but we picked elf, and we're all happy with that.

mconway1 wrote "parents should have to pass a 'new mommy and daddy exam' before a new baby is brought into this world. if you fail, your kid's taken away."

I like the test idea!

You need a license to drive a car, but any meth addicted nutjob can pump out a kid? Seems like there should be some kind of test. I'm sure such a parental fitness exam would have identified and prevented a lot of the, uh, "issues" poor Britney had after she thought it'd be a "hoot" to get knocked up and "Be, like, a Mom and stuff."

Question#1 Is Red Bull Energy drink an acceptable substitute for breast milk?

Question#2 How long can you leave a baby in the back of your 1976 Pinto while you get meth? 1hr? 2 days? I don't know.

Question#3 If your baby-daddy's new girlfriend smokes a cigarette in the same room as your baby while she babysits, is that fine or unacceptable?

stupidity kills

My brother was talking about childrearing classes being mandatory in 1974. They didn't learn then, why should the gov do anything that might make the poor more educated. They might just rebel intelligently.

There are few good parents left. I worry for the coming generation.

Let him join the U.S. army, they're the biggest gang on this planet at the moment. Not just controlling areas, they're controlling Cities and they get funded by the biggest demo-CRAZY of this world.

The first step in dealing with this type of issue is not to attempt to glorify criminal behavior but instead teach offenders about social responsibility. However you can do that alone without see and analyze all the human economical, educational and social behavior profile of the offender and in addition offer him an educational, economic and social form of rehabilitation.

parents need to encourage their kids to think for themselves and become anarchists - screw gangs .

so it took them 4 years to discuss how to raise their child albeit an awful way..

I'm just glad as a gay man I'm not allowed to marry and adopt children, but straight people like this get a free pass until one threatens their "better half" to force a decision in which gang their 4 year old should join. Lovely.

Considering I work with kids, this floors me! I am trying to not have the kids end up in gangs and we have parents arguing about which gang their kid should be in! Wow! What happened to choosing a preschool?

These parents thinking and argument is little different than more "acceptable" disagreements about religion or nationality.

Gangs are a poor solution (but often times the most accessible option) to issues of poverty, trauma, abuse, lack of parental attention and low self-esteem.

It's a complex issue and there's no easy answer.

VSiskos, I appreciate your comment.

Unfortunately when that little kid if finished growing up in that environment be will be a gang banger.

If he doesnt choose a gang both will likely go for his head, and those of his parents.
If he joins one then he is relatively safe(r).

Its sad that we automatically doom this kid to death in a sense. I just don't understand being safer in a gang. I work in an area were gangs are prominent and kids who want to join or have to join have to get the crap kicked out them in order to be a member.
I wish people would start to take a more active role in controlling the gang problem that is on the rise once again, especially in the L.A. area.

hmmm it seems our foster care system will soon become more bogged down then ever, providing that justice proves just and these individuals are never allowed to see this child again. At this rate future generations will be raised by a system that is more flawed then ever!

um has anyone thought of taking the baby away and offering it a life outta crime and somewhere where its going to be a good citizin not a gang member...as wonderful as that life might be and all......