Virginia Tech

I usually don't editorialize on my blog. For the most part, I know no one really gives a rat's patoot about my opinion. But, Virginia Tech... really.... how sad. I remember vividly that I wrote an editorial in the newspaper shortly after Columbine about bullying and how, as a society, we don't take what goes on on the playground seriously enough. I'm not saying that bullying was the problem here. But I think it was at Columbine. We allow our children to taunt and torment those who are different until finally, one day, they just can't cope anymore and finally snap. Then, the next problem is that we ignore the warning signs that are obvious in these individuals because we just can't get involved. From the sound of it, there were plenty of warning signs about Mr. Cho. And it sounds like someone did try to intervene. Who dropped the ball? Where were his parents?? How do you ignore the erratic behavior of your own son?

I guess what I'm really saying is that the world we live in now scares me. Strangers are raising our kids because we can't afford to stay home and raise them ourselves. Parents aren't parenting because they are too stressed out trying to make a living and pay bills and put food on the table. The emotional wellbeing of many of our children is largely ignored. That is where problems start. And teachers aren't addressing issues with problem children because all they get in return for their effort when they try is trouble. Parents defend the child's bad behavior instead of getting on board with the teachers to try to fix the problem. Because, let's face it, at the end of the day, they just don't have the time or the patience to deal with it.

Unfortunately, I think that until parents wake up and realize that they need to get more involved with the lives of their children, we're going to be seeing a lot more of this type of thing. I mean, this really never happened in the generation before, did it? I think this country is full of very confused young people, deplete of emotion, who feel that they have no place to turn. And it's scary.