Kids Without Supervision, Parents Without Responsibility

After moving into my new home, I planted a small garden. Every day since then, I have gone outside only to discover that someone’s child has pulled up a plant or ridden his or her bike through the flower beds.

Even after talking to the children and their parents, it keeps happening. These children, all younger than 8, are allowed to roam neighborhood streets without adult supervision. They play in other people’s yards, tear up gardens and leave their candy wrappers and other trash strewn about.

It isn’t just here in my Camarillo neighborhood that children are acting this way. Disrespectful, inconsiderate behavior seems to be epidemic among children nowadays.

Kids are disrespectful and inconsiderate because their parents don’t bother to take an active role in their lives. Where are these children’s parents? Their primary caregivers are their mothers. And these mothers stay in the house all day long, doing who knows what while their kids wander the streets.

The other day, I went to a playground with my son. I was surprised to see a 6-year-old boy there by himself. I asked him where his mother was. He told me that she was at a friend’s house. I asked if his mother ever brought him to the park. He told me he usually came alone.

“Sometimes my daddy brings me. But he doesn’t live here anymore.”

That is sad on two levels. This child is growing up without feeling valued. And his mother is missing out on what could be the most rewarding experience of her life. I am not saying his mother has to climb the jungle gym with him. But she should at least be there to watch him play.

As a mother who plays a very active role in her child’s life, I am extremely disappointed in parents who don’t make the effort to be involved in their children’s lives. We parents are the ones to teach our children self-worth. If we can’t be bothered to spend time with them, what sort of message are they getting?

We are the ones who teach them right from wrong. But when you send your child outside alone, letting him or her run free with no guidance, is it any wonder kids are becoming more disrespectful every day?

Aside from being a nuisance, unsupervised children are at risk for injury or worse. The little boy at the playground easily could have fallen from the monkey bars and seriously hurt himself. And his mother wouldn’t have known. Kids are hit by cars every day. There are plenty of dangers out there. As parents, it is our job to protect our children.

If you are unwilling to teach and protect your child, I’ve got two words for you: birth control. Being a parent isn’t about mindlessly procreating; it’s about taking the time to nurture your child and help him or her become a productive member of society.