It is not my problem

Vici Kiehm from Roodepoort writes:

In many days gone by, all neighbours knew each other, spoke over the fence, waved hello, and especially “do you know what your child is up to?”.

Today with both parents working, neither has the strength or interest in what their children are doing – because understandably they are tired.

What happened to neighbours or any parent for that matter in taking a general interest in children?

I stand in a corner cafe and ask the shopkeeper selling cigarettes to a school child if they have asked for ID as it is illegal to sell cigarettes to someone under 18 years of age. The same goes for when I may be in a bottle store. If I see some exchange of money and a small packet, I ask the dealer what and why us he doing this – killing our youth?

The problem is education on all levels that used to be taught in the home is now left to schools – discipline, standards, norms and morals are taught at home. When schools can’t handle the problem it is left to the SAPS, so really when do parents own that responsibility and not only for their own children because that delinquent may be befriending their child. So as people, communities, humans all children are our problem, so we need to ask what do we do next?

Do we wait for the child to become a drug addict and enter our homes, steal, Rob and maybe commit murder or do we take a stand before then and prevent that child from becoming a drug addict? There are only so many policeman and they can’t be every where all the time, so they need our help even if it is only intelligence gathering for them, without physical action that endangers lives.

How many children’s lives must be endangered on many levels because “it is not my problem” attitude exists? How about those parents that would rather get rid of their children by shoving a couple of Rands in their children’s hands and send them to the mall without knowing where their children really go or what their children really do. Shame on you, money does not buy love or quality time. 15 years of policing has shown me that children will do anything for attention even the wrong attention, as long gone as they get some attention – good or bad.

So next time you see a young teen druggie that you have seen before – it is your fault because you said and did nothing, you felt nothing and you thought nothing and when that same teen druggie you watched, turns and harms you in anyway, you cry for justice and complain, it is your fault to start with because “IT WAS NOT MY PROBLEM” to begin with.

Think twice next time, all the children are our children, parent neighbour, community, member of a congregation or perfect stranger – protect our children, each and everyone of us, it is our responsibility.