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Adult culture responsible for teen violence

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A culture of greed and rudeness among adults is contributing to the epidemic of knife and gun violence among teenagers, according to the government's behaviour adviser.

Sir Alan Steer, a headteacher and the head of a major government review of school behaviour policies due to report on Monday, said parents must take more responsibility for tackling violence among their teenage children. On Monday, Steer will set out a series of proposals designed to put new pressure on parents to tackle their children's unruly behaviour in school, while giving them more direct contact with teachers via email and online reporting systems.

"But we bear some responsibility. Sometimes as adults we don't model the behaviour we would want youngsters to follow. We live in a greedy culture, we are rude to each other in the street. Children follow that. You wonder what has gone wrong in these children's lives. Of course the kids have a responsibility, but there are questions about what's going on at home. Parents have a huge responsibility. Government doesn't bring up children, parents do."

Among a range of proposals, the report will focus on the role of parents in tackling their children's poor behaviour in schools. It will set out ways to help parents get more involved in their children's schooling and behaviour management, and what to do about a small minority of parents who defend their children's poor behaviour against schools.

(Polly Curtis, Guardian)
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21 responses // Adult culture responsible for teen violence

  • if I followed what was modeled to me at school I would be a bully and a tyrant, a person willing to let others pick on those perceived as outsiders because I was either too amused or lazy to stop them.
    luckily I know right from wrong, but what about kids who don't learn this stuff at home because their parents are horrible people or are just not interested in becoming invovled in their kids' lives?
    spoonieday
  • People think it's either soccer mom or overworked alcoholic. Why can't they just pick the role "good parent"?
    handshakeheartbreak
  • You have to start with the parents if you want to make positive changes.
    dadapapa
  • I agree, I just hope his proposals can have an impact on the huge increase in knife crime incidents that have happened lately.

    It's a step in the right direction.
    mattbrawn
  • I agree, but it is also a matter of making changes in society at large. The responsibility lies with parents, but also with schools, neighborhoods, the media, etc.
    shernu
    2 responses to this
  • Well at least we know what kind of society to look forward to.
    clintisdakoolest
  • Doesn't surprise me.
    TaylerPERRY
  • They just decided this is true? I look at how parents raise their kids and I know who is just going to turn out to be the devil's own.

    You cannot be their friend. You are the parent. This doesn't mean you don't get to talk to them like a friend, but that's not your roll. They don't need a friend. They need someone to set down the rules and guidelines that will bring them to be good and productive adults.

    Letting them do whatever and get whatever and view whatever they want whenever they want because they throw a fit is not wise. Do not buy their love. Earn it. This is where the idea that respect them if they respect you is out of the question.

    Parents have to respect their children no matter how disrespectful they may be. It is through actions that they learn more so than words. You can tell them not to swear but if you swear when you are in traffic guess what they're going to do?

    It's not good enough to say it, you have to live it.

    I see kids and I feel sorry for them and how they don't have a parent to guide them. Children yearn for such...they test boundaries to find them not because they expect to find none.

    I taught at a school that was mainly children that are so products of parents that are not citizens but also products of parents that aren't parents. They were so disrespectful not only to teachers but to themselves and others. It was sad to see 30 kids who had no clue they were going to be a burden upon society if they don't alter prior to becoming teenagers. (they were 3-5th graders).

    Having a child is not a game. It's a full time job that doesn't allow vacation and no part-time work. You're all in or we all lose out.
    J_Jammer
    2 responses to this
  • It's easy to blame this problem on adult culture, but how many things does adult culture include?
    thekingbeyond
  • It's not easy, it's right.

    Adults are the example and children do not learn it anywhere else other than from adults.
    J_Jammer
  • I don't think you understood me, I meant that it is easy to talk about the connection but harder to act on it.
    thekingbeyond
  • Makes a lot of sense, methinks. Parents are responsible for their children before anyone else, surely?
    LindseyIndigo
  • if i ever have kids... im smacking them if i have to get the right in.... but not going to resort that as the first option.. and not be a hypocrite when "teaching" them "life lessons"
    kewal91
    1 response to this
  • All to often I see parents in public who either give their kids whatever they want to make them shut up, or scream right back at them, sparing themselves and the kids no dignity. Both actions teach and promote loud and potentially violent acting out.

    I'm glad that my Mom got this right when my sister and I were growing up. If we misbehaved in public, she would take us aside and speak to us in that low and deadly voice that let us know that we were really crossing the line, scaring the living crap out of us while preserving our dignity. She often left what might happen to us if we continued the bad behavior to our imaginations. That way, we really didn't want to find out what would happen if we pushed her further.
    ladyshiba
    1 response to this
  • All around me I see parents who are genuinely helpless to deal with kids who are out of control. Parents who are exhausted from working two jobs in order to keep their families housed, clothed and fed. These are good, responsible people caught in bad situations.
    Whenever I see teens out of control, I'm a little hesitant to automatically point a finger at the parents. Parenting is the most difficult thing anybody can do, and unfortunately babies don't come home with instruction manuals.
    Since I do believe "it takes a village," whenever I encounter bad behavior from little kids, I like to approach the offending tyke and whisper something along the lines of "everybody is looking at you be really mean to your mom. Aren't you embarased?" I have yet to have a bad reaction from either child or parent.
    AnaMireles

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