New Shock – Sun Columnist makes sense talking about teenagers and crime!!!

I know, who’dathunk it, this lovely young *ahem* blogger reads the Sun!  At least it’s openly biased and easy to tear apart – and takes a small amount of time to read!

Anyway - I digress.  The columnist Jane Moore is probably a tad too right-swinging for my taste normally, without the laugh aloud humour of Jeremy Clarkson (most other Sun columnists slightly left of Hitler only!) but I read her column this morning and find myself in agreement!  I like the fact she prefaced her column by stating

“LET’S take it as a given that there are hundreds of thousands of decent, hard-working teenagers out there ready to take their meaningful place in society. “

because all too often the decent majority are forgotten.  Working in a very trying catchment area comprehensive as I do I see much of this, and the vast majority, even from the most trying of circumstances, are doing their level best and are ordinary, lovely, decent human beings.   There is a feral (a favourite Sun term for them) who are not.

Jane Moore slams the lack of moral context given to sex education, she derides the rise of ‘celebrity-dom’ whereby it is seen as a proper career path to want fame despite having no talent.  Those who read gossip rags are at fault for advocating this rise, they hungrily read the latest scandals and then deride those who then fall because they are praised at first for being famous and a celebrity, then are cut down when their lack of talent shows.  They are cut down and left to rot by those who placed them on the pedestal in the first place.  It’s a quick buck so teenagers, who feel they have no skills or talent, (thank you a ‘one size fits all’ education system) see it as a viable route to survival.

“Britain’s once-great community spirit is in meltdown because no one dares remonstrate with feral youths and they feel the police have all but given up doing so too. “

It so is.  This statement is so true.  Would you tackle or tell off a group of kids who were causing trouble?  I like to think I would, and once did chase off a couple of girls who were kicking another as she lay on the ground.  But would I now?  I don’t know.  I did that without thinking.  As a child and teenager I was certainly scared of being told off by family friends and neighbours, who would, not a doubt in my mind, tell my parents.  More importantly my parents would believe THEM and I would be in severe trouble.  I’ve finally realised that my parents were strict, never realised this before as my friend’s parents were also strict, and that I had boundaries BECAUSE they care and because they love me.  I think I may email them to tell them I have finally realised.  So I guess I only have to wait until my children are 35 before they realise I love them and am strict because I love them and want them to be decent people…

“On the recent Louis Theroux: Behind Bars — a compelling peek inside the walls of the notorious San Quentin prison in the US — he asked a warder what had stopped him from becoming one of the many inmates he was employed to watch over.

“Because I didn’t want to do anything that would upset my mother,” he answered.

And there, in one succinct reply, you have the key to a fundamentally decent, law-abiding society: Good parenting, single or otherwise. “

And there you have it.  Read the rest of the article here… http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/columnists/jane_moore/article544897.ece and see if you surprise yourself by agreeing with her too.

Hypocrisy is a fool’s tool

I have realised that I am not necessarily paranoid or suffering low self-esteem (those who know me would refute this, those who know me better may not be so quick to dismiss), but that sometimes my useless judgement of people can be spot on.

I am coming to abhor people I previously respected because I have realised their incapability to delegate duties is not a self-sacrifice but a need to hold on tight to their little tasks and Lord it over others.  This is damaging to us, but even more so to them in the long run.  They lose the trust and respect of those around them, and eventually the support (what little they allow) to undertake their projects.  So why hypocrisy?  Because they flatly deny they do this and say all comments so ‘nicely’ that nothing sticks.  They are teflon bitches/bastards.

I feel sorry for them.  I used to believe I was a crap judge of character but am now realising my instincts are spot on, if I fail to trust them.  I may be naive and too willing to see the good in people, and used to think this was a good thing.  Now I am not so sure.  I am being selfish and self-preservative about this (just give me a new A-number instead of my name) but I think I shall put my kids (my own and my students) first from now and help only when it suits me and them.

And I will call you when you try to big yourself up by squashing me down.  Be warned people, it’s taken years but the scales are dropping from my eyes…

Had to wait a while before writing this one…

When you receive news, no matter the source, that something has allegedly been occuring that hurts some of your nearest and dearest, if they are children then as far as I am concerned they get 100% support right?

But this contravenes the innocent before proven guilty right of all accused, in the eyes of the law.

I have waited before writing this as it may unintentionally cause me loss of friendship and worse, contact with those I most desperately need to retain a relationship with.  As far as I am concerned, proven or not, when a child makes an allegation they receive your unwavering support, no matter what and I am suspicious of anything that happens otherwise.  I cannot understand how a direct relative can support and take the side of the accused over the child.  Or at least I could not.  I have, luckily, had someone to talk to about this and apparently in 90% of such cases the female sides with the male.  They try to deny what has occured or find proof of it all being a huge misunderstanding.  Because to do otherwise means they have failed the greatest task of all, and that is to protect their offspring.

So I do understand the head in sand situation.  I do support the also unknowing victim in all this.  BUT I give all my effort and support to the child.  They need to know they are believed and that they are still loved by everyone.  They need to know of their innocence in it all.  They need to know they are supported and trusted and that their reactions, even wanting to return to their abode which has the accused still in, is normal.  They need to know loving the accused is normal.  Bad actions do not make the entire situation and relationship a wholly bad one and this, in turn, does not lessen the actions being investigated.

It’s such a difficult situation and all I can do is support, be there and urge them ALL to get help.  Outside help, trained and professional help.  I’m too close and am emotionally involved so I will let you all down at some point.  But I will try.