What is Going on with Our Teens?

What is happening to our teens? In Jackson, MI a 13 year old girl was stabbed by a 15 year old. Early news reports say that the two girls were fighting in the school's hallway when the 15 year old girl pulled out a knife and stabbed the 13 year old in the upper thigh and stomach area. The 13 year old was taken to a hospital where they say she is expected to be treated and released. The 15 year old was taken into custody and will most likely face felony charges. The school handled the situation in a timely matter and did not have to use lock down procedures.

What is a 15 year old doing with a knife in school? What on earth could possibly be the cause of two girls fighting to the point of this kind of violence? What could be so bad to think that physical harm was the answer to the problem?

In another town two 14 year old girls made a hit list naming 20 fellow high school students who they wanted to see die! The two girls have been suspended from school for 10 days pending a police investigation. Initial reports state that it was just a couple of girls joking around.

Is writing names of fellow classmates and stating you want to see them dead a joke? Were these girls not taught right from wrong? This does not seem normal to me! Wanting fellow classmates to die and going so far as to make a list that specified how, this is just too much! One must wonder what is truly going on here in these girl's minds. Is a 10 day from school suspension enough? What does that message say?

Here on Long Island our local schools have a special news bulletin called "Connect Ed," which is a system that immediately calls the homes of all the students in our entire district in the event of any situations that parents should be made aware of. It is then posted on our school website and then followed up by a letter.

Sample letter we receive:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of two recent incidents involving students from the high school that for me raise concern regarding the safety of our young people when out in our community. Back on January 1st, two students were robbed of cell phones and cash. This past Friday evening, four students were robbed of cell phones, cash and credit cards in the alley next to the high school that runs between Union and Carpenter Avenues. In both instances our students were threatened by two or more individuals and what appeared to be a handgun was brandished. The local police and Nassau County police are involved in both cases and in the January incident an arrest has been made.

Please speak to your children about safety when they are out in the neighborhood and remind them that it is important to be aware and to take precautions. The web sites listed below contain valuable information on a variety of issues that can serve as a basis for a frank discussion with your teenager about some of the issues they contend with.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/ - Contains good information regarding teen safety on a variety of issues.

http://www.safekids.com/ - Primarily an internet safety site, solid information.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm - Website of the Federal Trade Commission - technology safety and consumer safety focused - has a list of resources and helpful sites.

http://www.licadd.com/ - website of the Long Island Council on alcoholism and Drug Dependency

http://www.missingkids.com/ - Website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A considerable amount of safety information is available at this site.

http://life.familyeducation.com/teen/safety/34464.html - Website of the Family Education Network.

These events and the events of last week raise concerns about the safety of our young people. The issues our teens face are complex. There are no simple or easy answers. The best armor when confronted with incidents involving violence, or internet safety, or drugs, or just about anything, is information and communication. Our community is a wonderful place to raise children but it is not immune to the ills of society. We are providing this information because the safety of our youngsters is of paramount importance. Please do not hesitate to call me with your concerns. If you wish to report an issue or incident anonymously Reportit.com can be accessed at the district web site.

We receive letters such as this whenever there is something that has occurred that we the parents need to be made aware of. Parents please take time to research your local school and see what their safety procedures are. Talk to your teens and listen carefully. The incidents above never should have happened in any community. Are parents missing the warning signs or are these teens becoming so dangerous and scary that there is no warning of what is really going on inside them? We must stand together as parents and figure out "What Is Going On?"

This was originally published on Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-33498-Long-Island-Parenting-Teens-Examiner