First off, bogus, BS lawsuits prompted by pissed off kids who didn't get their way should never see the light of day.

That said...

Some kids get great parents, some get brutal parents and most get something in the middle. There's things they did well, and things they didn't do so well. Parenting is a difficult challenge, now more than ever, IMO.

The kids with pretty bad parents are facing a huge uphill climb compared to those who have it better. Don't we all see smaller kids in a grocery store, gas station, etc. where they're acting up horribly and the parent(s) with them seem like something out of a dump? Poor hygiene, screaming and yelling at them in public, etc. usually our kids learn how to be parents from their parents. They model their parenting behavior off of what they experienced growing up. If Dad smacks Mom around, we know that junior is more likely to do the same. So maybe this family goes home and there's even more yelling, perhaps some low level physical abuse, etc. Maybe they don't go to church, maybe they use alcohol/drugs to a bad degree. We all know situations like this, right? Don't you think that those kids are at a disadvantage because of who had them? I do.

That kid has an uphill fight to try and break out of that culture. I've seen friends of the girls come over and they look like little street rats but sometimes after they feel comfortable they relax around us parents and a whole other side comes through. If you take a kid like that from poor parents and put them with better parents, there will be a difference.

Should their be a mechanism for children to use if they're really getting the short end of the stick? Not talking abuse-that's clear cut...But moreso the bad situations. Who do they turn to for relief? I don't think its the courts, but rather the teachers are the ones in the best situation to know these kids and help shape their lives and futures.

As an aside, I appreciate the dialogue that's gone on here in The Bar over the last few months. For me, its WAY more interesting than what's been going on in the regular arranger forums...

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Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 07-15-2010).]