Should Parents Be Held Responsible

[IreneWpg]

This goes along with the other poll on whether the justice system is too lenient on teens.

Because juveniles are not being held responsible for the damage or criminal acts they commit, should parents be held responsible for the actions of their children? Should they be made to pay for the damage their children commit? Should they be held responsible for the way their children act? And, why do you feel that way?

[StarDancer]

Yes i think that parents should be held responsible for there kids actions. If they had control over there kids and knew where they were and what they were doing at all times then like in the case of the hit and run here in winnipeg. If there parents were responsible parents there kids wouldn't have been riding around in a stolen car trying to run then down!

[nanuk]

What is IMHO?

[cndlady]

I believe to an extent that parents should be held accountable for their children to a certain extent....
But this goes along w/ the we can't do anything to our children to punish them.

You tell your child to be home at a set time...they don't show up...you tell them they are grounded and can't go out..they tell you where to go and how to get there..then what???

You can't tie them down, they can't spank them, you can't smack them...they will just call the police or social services...

In my day you knew if you screwed up you were going to have to face up to what ever you did and there would be punishment. You knew that if the police caught you, there was a good chance you could spend a night in jail, your parents would be called, and be none to happy with you and that you would likely be punished by them.

You never concidered talking back..it wasn't acceptable.
My parents never beat my siblings and I but we had a healthy respect and fear of them...maybe it was as much fear of the unknow in that maybe if you screwed up enough maybe they would smack you a good one...you didn't want to find out for sure.

Now kids know that the parents aren't going to smack them a good one because they will be the ones in jail, they won't spend a night in a cell at 15 because as a society we wouldn't allow this.
Juvinile Hall is basically a thing of the past and you would have to screw up bad and get caught several times before this would happen now at any rate.

From the time my kids were about 13 til they were 18 we had registration papers in the house for private military type schools...we could never have afforede to send the kids there...but they were never sure and never really wanted to find out if we could. Maybe this was a form of abuse...but it worked to keep them in line and out of major trouble...

Tough love for a tough world.

[cndlady]

What is IMHO?

IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

[CanadaLovesFree]

At 17 I lived away from my parents. I went to university and lived in rez. My parents, although "responsible" for me, were not accountable for my actions. If I committed a crime, I think it would be hard to pin that on my parents.


Yes, an 8 yr old should have an active parental figure in their life, and the law should take that into account. But once one is a teen, there should be seperate set of laws. At 13 I was babysitting. I was given adult responsibility by members of my community. In the law eye.. I should have been considered responsible for my actions.

[cndlady]

Well stated CLF.
I was on my own at 17 too and could/would have been accountable for what ever I did right or wrong.

If an 8 yr old throws a ball through the neighbours window...yes the parents should pay for the broken window..if a 16 yr old throws a ball through the neighbours window then he/she should be respoinsible for the damage.

What lesson is it to a 13 yr old if he/she damages property and mommy or daddy have to pay for it..doesn't teach them a dang thing...