Should parents be responsible?
Dylan Passetti
Professor Fanelli
College Writing
11/18/2013
Should Parents be Punished for Children’s Mistakes? Teenage crimes are on the rise, and in trying to prevent this condition from aggravating we are starting to consider different solutions, punishing parents for their children’s mistakes. The question to be asked is, are the parents really the problem here? Or is it something more severe? Punishing parents by the law is not the way to handle such rise in crime rates. Though I do believe that the parents should be held somewhat responsible for their children’s mistakes, I do not believe that they should be punished by the law. Some other things we need to consider are the effect that schools have on children, and how it can affect them mentally. “Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” (Plato) I found this quote interesting, and I agree with what it is trying to say. Discipline is not the same as it used to be and I believe that it is affecting young minds in a negative way. When I was younger, my parents would tell me to go to my room, or sit in timeout, but now parents are telling their children to give them their smartphones, or newest technology. This is hurting not only the child, but also the relationship that the parent has with his/her child. If a parent would step in and say that they need to get outside and play for a few hours, I honestly believe that it would help the child mentally and physically, and this would help them to become more mature and smarter in decision making. “In March 1989, on a cold, snowy day in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, nine-year-old Cameron Kocher fatally shot a seven-year-old playmate with a high-powered hunting rifle. He had been playing video games with the girl at her house, when she told him that she was better at the game
Professor Fanelli
College Writing
11/18/2013
Should Parents be Punished for Children’s Mistakes? Teenage crimes are on the rise, and in trying to prevent this condition from aggravating we are starting to consider different solutions, punishing parents for their children’s mistakes. The question to be asked is, are the parents really the problem here? Or is it something more severe? Punishing parents by the law is not the way to handle such rise in crime rates. Though I do believe that the parents should be held somewhat responsible for their children’s mistakes, I do not believe that they should be punished by the law. Some other things we need to consider are the effect that schools have on children, and how it can affect them mentally. “Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” (Plato) I found this quote interesting, and I agree with what it is trying to say. Discipline is not the same as it used to be and I believe that it is affecting young minds in a negative way. When I was younger, my parents would tell me to go to my room, or sit in timeout, but now parents are telling their children to give them their smartphones, or newest technology. This is hurting not only the child, but also the relationship that the parent has with his/her child. If a parent would step in and say that they need to get outside and play for a few hours, I honestly believe that it would help the child mentally and physically, and this would help them to become more mature and smarter in decision making. “In March 1989, on a cold, snowy day in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, nine-year-old Cameron Kocher fatally shot a seven-year-old playmate with a high-powered hunting rifle. He had been playing video games with the girl at her house, when she told him that she was better at the game