I had a run in with a couple of teenage boys the other day.
They were mouthing off at me at a train station, but it didn't occur to them I was getting the same train as them.
I got on in the next carriage, then followed them into the compartment they were sat in. I told them I wouldn't accept being talked to like that, and the boy who did it apologised, but started giggling when I turned around to sit down. I turned back, and said "Giggling behind someone's back is what a cowardly little boy would do. A real man would say things to my face.". He apologised properly that time. As he got off, I said "I live here, be seeing you.". He looked very uncomfortable, but won't do it to me again.
Now, I'm not defending these boys, or their actions. But they are still kids, and I would bet my life this wasn't the first thing they did. Why does it have to come to this before we do anything?
Yes, they do need punishment for this, but more importantly, they need guidance. If these kids had been given proper boundaries by the people around them earlier on, none of this would ever have happened. Chances are their whole lives will be a mess from this point on.
And before anyone says, it's not just the parents fault. We've demonised a generation of our kids, frightened to talk to them for fear something bad will happen.
Shame on us.
