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Downtown Curfew
Many parents and young people are not happy about the new “curfew” in downtown Greenville. Some say it’s not fair to the young people who want to enjoy our downtown and some say it’s not safe for kids to be downtown unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. This is not a complicated topic, but it is a volatile topic. It should be a matter of common sense and good parenting and, many days, I think we are in short supply of both.
I do not think that the crowd of young people of various ages who were hanging out after “Fall for Greenville” were there to enjoy our downtown environment. Most were there because they were curious and responding to a text message that spread the word about when and where to be. The majority were curious and not exercising much good common sense when they converged the way they did. They were following a blind command and when I think what could have happened, it’s really frightening. Most - if not all - parents were not aware that their kids had been downtown. The majority of these kids were not dropped off by parents, they were with friends and in cars. Did the parents of these kids know of this planned activity? And, in my mind, that is where the real problem lies.
Crowds of kids – thousands - converged on downtown Greenville in one area at a specific time. There is absolutely no good reason behind this action and I hope that we read between the lines and take responsibility now to have more connection and conversation between parents and youth before something tragic happens. This is a safety issue - we have dodged a bullet - and that could be taken literally.
I believe in kids and I believe in freedom, however, I believe in responsibility along with freedom. If we are concerned about our kids and our community, we do not drop our kids off with an expectation that they will police themselves and recognize the proper boundaries and behavior. What are we thinking? The reasons that this is senseless and dangerous in this day and age is endless. We have to do the hard work and be parents. We have to do the hard work and know where they are, whom they are with, and when they will be home or inside somewhere that is not a downtown adult bar or restaurant. That should not take a curfew set by the city, it should be common sense set by good parents.
Therein lies the problem and it begs the question, “Are we as parents exercising common sense and acting in a SAFE and responsible manner? What are we modeling for our kids? Is it that city council and the police have to step in where we are failing to act as parents to keep our kids responsible and SAFE? Everyone is making statements like, “The good kids will pay the price for a few”, when the statement should be, “All kids suffer when we fail to parent with responsibility and safety in mind”.
We were all kids once and I know I pushed the limits of the curfew set by my parents. I pushed the limits of where I could go and how late I could stay - boundaries set by my parents. We really do need to reflect back to the day when we all recognized the simple statement in the television ad that said, “It is 10:00 PM. Do you know where your children are?” Well do we?
Published on October 20, 2009 at 12:18 pm | Permalink | 0 Comments