Of course my good news had to be tempered with bad. You know that whole ying yang thing.

One of my former Lost Boys was arrested for home invasion and grand theft (they stole shot guns, handguns, and bayonets...wtf who has fucking bayonets lying around?).

Why are kids so fucked up now days? Anyone have some examples of not fucked up kids lying around so I can feel better like the whole future is not going to hell???

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

I dunno. I was really proud of my young'n, making Honor Roll, working in daycare, being invited to join People to People for overseas trips, but lately all I see him doing is playing online wargames on 360 & downloading gangsta rap to his Ipod, so don't ask me about the future...all I got is this stupid handbasket...

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Plug me into somethin'

If the theory does not conform to the facts, then the facts must be discarded.

No good deed ever goes unpunished

Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level, & beat you with experience.

He can play war games and listen to gangsta rap and unite the world through song and raise our future. He's who I needed to know still existed. Good job Scotz!

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

I think I may have mentioned before that my sister and her husband have had permanent guardianship of 3 kids for several years now (I think it's been around 10 years). The oldest is off on his own and there were some problems, but I don't think that's a bit surprising considering what he had gone through with his birth parents from a very young age.

The middle son, is stellar and the younges (girl) is as well. Their birth parents are both on the street crack addicts, and have frequently tried to get their children to take money from their own savings accounts to send them so they can "get back on their feet." Even spent several (collect) phone calls trying to get the youngest (who was 12 or so at the time) to sell her bike so she could send them money...of course asking that they would keep these requests private from my sister and b-in-law. Anyway, the youngest is now 17 and wanted to be able to go up and visit her birth parents over spring break. The middle son know this is a bad idea and wants nothing to do with visiting the parents, but also feels that his sister should not have to go up there alone (the parents live a couple of thousand miles from them). He's certain that it is going to be a very painful (emotionally) experience for her, so he's taking time off of work (from both his jobs) and paying for his own airfair (as well as taking extra savings in case they need to get to a safe hotel situation without warning) and accompanying her.

I think that's pretty wonderful of him. Gratefully the sis/b-in-law have several friends that live nearby and have offered to be available to the "kids" if they need an escape. Does that help Lil .... or is it just more depressing news?

Excellent. He loves his sister enough to protect her in a logical way. He seems to be a smart cookie too.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

I know I'm extremely proud of my nieces (16 & 12). They both do all kinds of volunteer work and pull straight A's in school. The youngest is on some kind of scholarship program sponsored by Duke Univ. and she's already taken her SAT's. Great kids and I'm a very proud uncle.

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It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

my youngest just turned 16 and her high school gave her a little booklet thats has hers rights, one of these more or less states at 16 you dont have to go home anymore infact you can just dissapear and as parents we can not do anything about it, i felt for mrs moose when the police rang her 10 days ago to give her a lecture on bad parenting because my 16 year old went to them to say she was not coming home so we cant report her missing.
well the only bad parenting we performed was to take msn from her because she was not doing her home work and that makes us bad parents and gives her the key to leave, for 5 days we could not contact her or know where she was, we kept ringing the police but they would not do anything because she told them she was leaving. i can tell you this broke my heart and thankfully she kept going to school and mrs moose caught up with her there and managed to talk her into coming home, now i we to watch what we say and do so we dont prevoke her into doing this again.
so i would like to wish the do gooder who wrote the fucking convention for childrens rights all them best and hope his or her kids do the same to him

And whose interest is it in for children to leave home underage?

How do we spell "Paedophile"?

It's just a suspicion, but hey, motive and opportunity.

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Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating

I wish I could add some hope to this thread. But I'm with you Lil. What the hell happened to our youth? And it's nothing like what our parents used to say about us. Or even what their parents said about them! It's downright scary today. Kids (a lot, but not all) have no empathy for fellow man and no regard for rules or authority. Respect isn't even in their vocabulary.

Heres what I'm seeing. If the kids can get to the age of 17 and haven't gone wayward then they have a chance of coming up unscathed. But if they get one chance to challenge authority before that age, and they seemingly "win"...look out!

My baby sis's son went to bed one evening, a charming 15 y/o. Next day he woke as an asshole and to this day (he is 18 now) he is lost to us. This broke baby sis's heart but she granted him emmancipation when he was 16 because she was afraid of him. His latest escapade is crack. I'm awaiting a phone call from sis right now to let me know if he and his "partner in crime" (his childhood friend) have been arrested for stealing said friend's mother's bank card. They've stolen jewelery, coins, etc. and this bank card was the last straw. Nephew is so lost I don't know if we can get him back.

And that ^^^ is just the tip of the iceberg!

*sigh*

Sorry I couldn't contribute some sunshine!

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Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

Our three girls and two of the boys came out alright. The girls are all married and raising families of their own. One of the boys (37) lives in Peoria and has helped with elementary school basketball for the last 23 years (since the year after he got out of 8th grade). The other son, while still at home has a good job and has purchased his own car and hopes that within a year to be able to afford getting a place of his own. In the meantime, he does all he can to help us around out house.

Two of the boys, on the other hand, have had more diffculty. Our oldest son seemed to have had a real problem growing up. Now 42, he finally seems like he's turned around, but it was a long, long, time coming around.

Now our youngest son is struggling, too. We keep hoping and praying and we've tried to get him some help, but there's still a ways to go. I've got hopes, though. He's a really likeable son who I think just got mixed up with some bad company.

We have seen the drop in kids respect for authority and for adults. Not in all kids, but in a larger percentage than I wish. Not sure what it'll take to see things turn around, but, I worry a lot for the next generation.

when society hands them eveything, shelters them from hugs, dodge ball and t-ball losses, excuses their fucked up behavior by blaming eveything from parents to vaccinations (but never the child), it's no wonder they have no respect for their own skills or any one elses, and that they have determined that they are entitled to whatever they want, whenever they want it.

i worry for the next generation too, db. without character, we can have no true visionaries or leaders, just a generation of whining brats.

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Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose

Thank You Dr Spock.

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was that a dig?

__________________
Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose

take heart, folks. the backlash against the girl fight vids on youtube from the gen nexters is very encouraging

__________________
Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose

Society and how kids relate to it is a complex evolution. I remember when it was the end of civilisation as we knew it because I had long hair and listened to minions of the Devil like the Beatles and Roling Stones.

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Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating