And in keeping with the warning in the last section regarding the dangers of being inconsistent, Angie (below) offers assurance:
"If the parents already know how they feel and practice it on a regular basis than kids won't be getting mixed messages." Angie Houghton, Iowa-Grant High School, Livingston, Wisconsin
*And perhaps because the problem-solvers were students themselves, the idea of formal parenting-classes was suggested time and again:
"Taking parenting classes help parents to learn how to raise responsible children." Sandy Gunther, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota
"I believe there should also be a meeting set up at the local schools to help parents with the problems of raising children, a counseling center to teach parents and kids how to communicate with each other. This center will teach parents how to raise their kids to be responsible and to impress in them good morals that can't be broken." Justus Snyder, Freeman High, Rockford, Washington
"How can we make every parent a good one? I think the answer is education. The government must set up parenting programs. They must make every parent go through these classes. Maybe even make a law that requires every parent to attend the classes." Courtney Trombley, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri"I also think it would be a good idea to have speakers go to schools or somewhere where parents can be spoken to about how to make their children more responsible. It wouldn't be something that would tell parents how to raise their kids, but it would give suggestions on how to make their children more responsible." Ben Nesheim, Newell-Fonda High School, Newell, Iowa"A plausible way of challenging this problem might be to implement a required course teaching the responsibilities of children and families into the curriculum of high school level classrooms. Along with establishing the responsibilities, various ideas could be taught concerning how to deal with and relate to children. I am almost certain that with the establishment of these classes, that over a period of years our nation would begin to see a more responsible attitude towards the development of our childrenÐ"Dnate' Baxter, Lubbock-Cooper High School, Lubbock, Texas Every summer we hear about infants who die because of their parents' ignorance. Some people do not realize an unventilated car can become a death trap:"Mothers are not given care manuals while birthing their children in the hospitals; maybe booklets should be distributed." Martha Harrison, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania"Another plausible solution may be to require parents that have a baby to watch a two-hour positive parenting video before leaving the hospital." John Espinosa, Aubrey High School, Aubrey, TexasMany suggestions were offered concerning parenting. Many were idealistic platitudes from hopeful young people which we hope adult readers will find motivating:"Parents still have the responsibility to shape and mold their children into responsible adults. Parents should spend more time with their children when they are younger, teach them proper behavior, and show love to them. As a result, the child would respect parents and care what they think." Colleen Hofer, James Valley Christian School, Huron, South Dakota"It is our responsibility as individuals to teach morals, to have morals, and to live by the morals that we have." Crystal Reed, Meadow Bridge, West Virginia"When parents start taking more responsibility for their families, jobs, and each other, maybe the children of the nation will start to believe in the values they are taught." Heather Stearns, Carbondale High School, Carbondale, Illinois"A strong moral foundation not only will ease moments of confrontation on the playground but also can give a child the fortitude to resist cheating, drugs, and other serious temptations later." Shara Bowers, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri"I also feel that if the parents had responsibility then their kids (would) be responsible." Aaron Thigpen, Valhalla High School, Valhalla , New York "The responsibility of caring for a family and teaching morals lies with parents. Ð A family needs to be committed to each other and work together to make things work. The responsibility of being a parent is something that takes a lot of planning and careful thinking. The generations today will be responsible for leading America in the future so parents need to be responsible for teaching family values to their children and teaching them to be the best possible human beings. They can then take on all the responsibilities of the world and take care of their own family." Jessica Hines, Deer River High School, Deer River, MinnesotaThat's not to say practical hints weren't offered:"We should not hide our problems from our children but we should not make them look as if it is their fault. We need to let them know it is okay if they have a problem." Wendy Jolliff, Lincoln County High School, Eureka, MontanaPeggy Lynn and Jaime have ideas that if implemented would win them the undying gratitude of many harried parents:"Private agencies need to organize volunteers to be role models for children and parents. A volunteer will stay with a parent or child for six months, and then will be matched with someone else. The parent or child will be given several phone numbers of volunteers in case they need to call and ask for help. The agency will make a personal contact every three months with this family to see how they are progressing." Peggy Lynn Shipp, Kinsley High School, Kinsley, Kansas"People don't realize that some people get into situations that they can't get themselves out of. Maybe we can set-up fun things for the children to do. Get them out of the house a while. Or get a baby-sitting club going, and set something up for the parent's to go out and do; maybe a dinner, or dancing, or a movie. To do this you'll need money within the organizationÒso set-up a fund raiser. You could get these people involved with this too. Have them help set-up the fund raiser; actually have a hands-on type deal. It could be fun for them, and a learning experience for us." Jamie Tesky, Wallace High School, Wallace, IdahoHeather's except (below) shows the mother was accountable for her son's behavior. This is in contrast to the mother whose son was a member of the Spur Posse, mentioned on page 5. In this sense it is a solution in itself. On the other hand, this excerpt doesn't suggest that parenting classes are effective:"A 37-year-old woman named Gloria Williams was arrested shortly after her 15year-old son was arrested on charges of gang rape. The mother was charged with failure to exercise reasonable care and control of her son. Investigators said they found evidence strongly suggesting that the boy's mother condoned her son's gang activities. The charges were dropped against her when authorities learned that before the incident she had taken parenting classes." Heather Hicks, Camden High School, Camden, TennesseeJustin (below) takes parental accountability to an extreme:"The parents of the children who commit violent crimes would have to serve some of the time that their child has earned." Justin Tomlinson, Rolla High School, Rolla, North DakotaCorrecting Injustices In Current Law"I also have a solution. It is very simple. Let's try for once to actually enforce our current laws. So often in our society laws are either not obeyed or not enforced. A person going over the speed limit is not given a ticket or a person sitting on death row is not killed. It is the lack of enforcement and follow through that is the problem." Scott Lichtenberg, Pioneer High School, San Jose, California"Criminals should have only minimal rights once they have violated someone else's rights. Prisons should not be comfortable and [Rob does not believe] convicts rights are violated in an 'uncomfortable' prison, because after they become criminals they give up certain rights." Rob Hubof, Post Falls High School, Post Falls, Idaho"The world is voting for the death penalty, which makes people think twice about what they are doing or are going to do. And it will make sure that if they do commit a crime harsh enough for the penalty nobody will have to worry about that person doing it again." Gary Reigel, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota"If a guilty person is set free and commits another crime who should be punished? The judge? The lawyers? The jury? I do think the government should make punishments against these certain individuals who allow this to happen." Emily Nicole Levin, Kensington High School, Kensington, Kansas"Currently, capital punishment is more expensive than life sentencing. This is because of the United States Court of Appeals, and the right it gives people on Death Row to appeal their sentences a much as they want to. If these rights were taken away, and these people were quickly executed, capital punishment would easily be cheaper than life sentencing." John Heinle, DeForest High School, DeForest, Wisconsin"Our government should change the court system so that people can't receive money after they have committed crimes." Justin Lockwood, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, IowaThere are numerous proposals that do what Justin suggests above. only on a broader level. For example, freshman congressman from Massachusetts, Peter Torkildsen, proposed a bill that would prevent prisoners from receiving government checks while incarcerated. (Social Security checks are no longer sent to prisoners.) Still another proposal to consider: Why not allow injured parties the amount of money necessary to compensate for actual documented losses (hospital bills, lost wages etc.). Continue to allow awards for pain and suffering and awards meant to punish and discourage other potential wrong-doers, but direct those awards to a special fund to reduce government debt. That way a victim's misfortune will not be a way to get rich at taxpayers expense, yet the guilty party will be forced to pay a high price for his/her negligence. Taxpayer's have been getting the tab for everyone's misfortune; maybe it's time for them to take a share of the gain. They deserve it."A solution to crime already has already been instituted in Washington state. It is called the 'three strikes' policy... The principle behind the policy is that criminals convicted of a felony over three separated occasions are automatically sentenced to life imprisonment."Chris Jensen, Freeman HS, Rockford, WashingtonThe three strikes policy that Chris referred to above, is part of the proposed federal crime bill which also provides for stiffer penalties, restricted paroles and $1.9 billion for social programs to alleviate the conditions that are thought to promote crime, as Chris points out as he continues below: "Yet another example of an intended solution is that of anti-parole legislation. At a private workshop in Washington, D.C., four big-city mayors gathered to discuss the rising crime problems in their cities and proposed initiative action to produce bills that would limit the entire parole system. The premise of their meeting is also the foundation of another possible solution: organized inner-city coalitions. Under this system, representatives from major cities would meet and discuss strategies for eliminating crime in their respective areas. One of the many solutions discussed at the aforementioned meeting was the improvement of housing for lower class citizens. Poverty and despair are two major reasons for crime." Chris Jensen, Freeman High , Rockford, WashingtonRecently in San Jose, California, a dozen homeless people worked several hours to clean an abandoned house owned by a mortgage company. They attempted to take it over and were arrested for their effort. The same thing happened several years ago in New York City. This might seem cruel and senseless to Chris and other students, but it has to do with private property rights, a concept that lies at the very foundation of our country.There are numerous reasons for homelessness. Lack of affordable housing is only one and it is exacerbated by excessive regulations. Senator Dole is the sponsor of a private property bill which would require impact assessments for any federal regulation or guideline to determine if it would reduce the value of private property. The bill would require a government agency to examine alternatives that do not reduce property values. Opponents of the legislation claim the bill could cost at least $150 million and could disrupt farm programs like marketing orders, disaster assistance and the conservation reserve program