Other: Columbine

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/do-we-blame-the-columbine-parents/?scp=3&sq=columbine&st=cse


I read this article about a week ago and it really stuck with me.The woman who wrote it discussed the feelings she first had when hearing about Columbine. She said that she,like many others, blamed the parents of the two killers. She then dug a little deeper and researched other families who had children shoot their peers. In none case of the cases, the 14 year old killer was like any other boy. When his teacher told the parents he was goofing off in class they grounded him. When his behavior continued they gave him more chores. The parents tried to talk to their son, but he always assured them he was okay. That same year a gossip column ran that the boy was gay and had a "male friend." He later killed three of his classmates during the morning prayer.The author of this article also looked at the parents of one of the Columbine killers. They did everything in their power to be "good parents." The parents of one of the boys were described as kind gentle people, who made a lot of time for their son. The other was a psychopath. The parents took him took counseling, got him medication, and tried the best they could do. The problem with this boy was not his parents but the fact that he had a chemical imbalance in his brain.
When tragedy strikes, it always makes feel people feel better to point fingers. Thinking back, I,like many others put blame on the parents. The more I think about it now, shouldn't teachers and students be held somewhat responsible too? I guess I bring this up because in the case of the boy who was outed by the gossip column, I am confused why the faculty would allow this to happen. Teachers, counselors, and principals are just as much a part of a child's life as the parents. There is no way of knowing if any of these incidents could have been stopped, but something has to be done to keep them from happening over and over again.