[draganess]

I live in a small Yorkshire village where recently a Polish shop was ram raided for displaying a sign that said Polish only, which I am told is against the law to display such signs, they where ram raided by a pair of druggies. I certainly don't agree with the shop sign but there are much better ways to sort out differences with out resorting to violence.

As for the kids with knives. I too think the parents are to blame. If one of my kids stabbed some one I would see it as a failing in my parenting. I also blame the lack of good old fashioned family values. If parenting was meant to be a one man operation then we wouldn't need two to conceive. I'm in now way saying all single parents are going to bring up kids that will stab someone, what I am saying is look around at the single parents you know, the good ones will have other support systems in place, whether it be other family members, friends or some organisation. I'm also not having a go at guy couples that choose to have children because they are not single parents. Parenting is hard. I don't know how single parents do it.

The 'latch key kid generation' doesn't help either. Most parents have no option but to go out and work when their kids are at home, leaving them at home to do what they want. So I guess the government would be to blame there. We have teenagers that have no where to go, nothing to do! Then when the odd community want to do something for them its usually objected to and stopped. We should have had a youth centre created near us, one where kids could get help for lots of problems and some where for them to hang out. But no! it got stopped by residence that where afraid. Its a catch 22 that needs sorting.

I think radical action is needed. I think it was Brooke Kinsella, who recently said that she thought national service could be one answer, maybe that would. I also think that we should put curfews on kids. Maybe say for example, kids 16 and under to be indoors by 9pm. Younger kids an earlier time. I would like to say that if they are indoors their parents will know where they are and what they are doing, but thats not always the case. I think it would be a good start. It would mean we would (should) see more police on the streets, and if children are found they are taken back to the care of their parents, or suitable alternative.

Looking into the needs of parents that are working needs looking into too. Its easy for me to say what I have as until this last year I have been lucky enough to stay at home with my kids. Because of the credit crunch more parents are forced back to work when they would rather be at home looking after the kids. Finding a job that fits round them is almost impossible if you don't want to spend most of your wage on childcare. What do we do with our teenage children? Are they old enough to look after themselves for a few hours? I couldn't image mine been too please if I got them a child minder. Again another catch 22.

Its not just the knife culture. Recently the village I live in has had problems with kids in gangs hanging round bus shelters, street corners, alleyways drinking alcohol. One of the children picked up by the police was only ten years old. When taken back to her parents she told the police it wasn't her problem!

I wouldn't say I feel personally at risk from been stabbed. I don't think its been blow out of proportion but what I think needs to be remembered is that the media is much bigger than it was 20 or even 10 years ago, it has helped to bring this problem to light.