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A Cloquet, Minn., teenager told police that he found it so funny when he dumped a pitcher of ice water on a 90-year-old nursing home resident that he returned and did it two more times.
I’m incensed that a teenager would find this trick at all entertaining. As I wonder what social bankruptcy this kid was raised under, I read that three friends on the two return trips joined him.
Nursing home residents may be our most vulnerable citizens, and our society is built on respecting our elders, not tormenting them.
I’m drawn to sounding like an old person when I ask, “What kind of upbringing did these children have? Is it fair to ask the parents why their kids are so mean?”
The prosecutor will ask the court to try the boy as an adult, and he may charge the boy’s three teenage friends with aiding and abetting.
The nursing home is re-evaluating the security of the 88-bed nursing home attached to Cloquet hospital about 140 miles north of the Twin Cities. The home shouldn’t have to protect itself from this kind of mischief. Some say the teenagers were arrested to stop another attempt. The family and the staff were getting ready to defend the residents.
Maybe the staff should get their hands on these kids. You know the courts will do little for punishment. Community service is the usual punishment. That’s how this trouble started — when one of the kids visited someone at the home.
Whether it’s community service, restorative justice or jail time, the damage has been done. Making this situation right will take more than a guilty plea, a conviction and a sentence. The tragedy is that this assault happened at all.
Us old folks will blame the demise of the family. Some will blame the system, but you can almost be assured the parents won’t blame the kids. This is not a blameless act. The guilty should be punished.
Our social system will try to right this wrong, but the damage has been done. Whatever kind of creative sentencing the courts cook up won’t be enough salve to cover this hurt. Let’s hope the teenagers wish they never did something so stupid. We certainly do.
Listen to your kids — the rest of us have toAt an afternoon coffee last week, my friends and I were sitting next to a group of youngsters and their moms. The kids were disruptive to say the least.
It didn’t stop us from our usual “high-powered” discussion.
At some point during the meeting, our most senior member of our group said something within earshot of the adults with the children. It probably echoed all of our thoughts, but we were tolerating the disruption.
Our vocal coffee partner soon found himself squared off with one of the moms with her hands on her hips asking him, “Weren’t you ever a kid?”
Usually quick-witted, his reply failed to impress the mom who wasn’t really asking a question anyway.
I’m very sure we were all young. Being the youngest of the group, I’m sure I was raised in the most liberal setting. I know firsthand, if I would have been taken to a restaurant and caused that kind of disruption, I’d be in trouble.
If kids before 1960 were treated to going out to restaurant, we knew it was a time to behave and be respectful. Should we become a disruption we could count on our parents dealing with us in quick order.
“Children should be seen, not heard,” is a laugh these days.
You will see some young families with well-behaved children at a restaurant. It almost makes you stop and admire the parents’ control. It comes from routinely instilling principles, discipline and love.
I find expressive children entertaining and a joy to watch. Noisy and disruptive children shouldn’t be everyone’s burden. Yes, we were all young once, but now you’re the parent. Teach them how to behave while you can.
Jim Galewski is the retired editor and Opinion page editor of the Winona Daily News. His views don’t necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. If you have an idea or tip about a Winona issue, call Jim at (507) 452-3960. His
e-mail address is editor@luminet.net.
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Boring wrote on Mar 8, 2007 2:39 PM: