Where Do They Get It From?

An item in a recent newspaper and again on the TV news the same day both talked about the alarming percentage of kids in school who have stolen from a store and cheated primarily by plagiarizing from the internet. Where do they get it from?

I don't think the answer is a simple one, but then again, maybe it is. I think it's a combination of a whole lot of things but it starts at home. With all of the parents in the home working, there is no one there to nurture, protect, teach, and guide when the kids get home from school. So the kids play video games or watch TV programs that glamorize crime, violence, infidelity, backstabbing, and all other forms of cheating. If they happen to read the newspaper or watch the TV news they get similar messages from politicians, movie stars, TV stars, music stars, and athletes getting caught doing all sorts of unsavory acts. And when the parents get home from work, about all they have energy for is having a quick meal and getting the kids off to bed. They simply don't have the time or energy to sit down with their kids and put all of that "bad stuff" into perspective and talk with them about what is right and what is wrong.

So, home is where it starts with Mom and Dad providing little to no guidance. But the manufactures of video games, the media in general, and even our politicians at the highest levels; and the music, movie, TV, and sports stars are providing terrible examples of moral and ethical behavior. The conclusion has to be then that the problem is societal. Until our children's parents, our national leaders, our media, and our sports organizations take more responsibility for their own actions and the actions of their family members, our kids will continue believing it's OK to steal from a store and that it's OK to cheat in school.