The UK is failing children

It’s official: Britain is the worst place for children (compared to other developed countries, that is). According to UNICEF,

Britain’s youngsters had the worst relationships with their family and peers, suffered more from poverty and indulged in more “binge drinking” and hazardous sex than children in other wealthy nations, said the report.

So the Labour pollies are saying that the data UNICEF used was outdated. I wish the kids in our neighbourhood got that memo. There is so little to do and no sense of responsibility:

• Our local shop’s just had its roller doors vandalised (allegedly by the ‘IRA’ and the neighbourhood’s ‘catholic crew’)
• Teenagers hang out at this tiny row of shops, leaving all sorts of nasty garbage (including used condoms — ick ick ick) lying around for the shopowners to clean up
• From what we’ve heard, it’s the girls who are the worst-behaved — the boys move on when you tell them to
• Some moronic kid with a death wish was wandering around in the middle of the road one night and did not move to the pavement when we drove towards them; he actually moved further into our path, daring us to hit him
• I actually feel a little uncomfortable if I’m to go out walking on my own when it’s dark

And do you know what the main problem is? These kids have no concept of consequences or responsibility, and their parents don’t help. When I was a teenager, behaving even remotely like these adolescents would bring down unbearable punishment — guilt at having let my mother down. These kids’ parents just threaten to thump you for calling their attention to their kids’ delinquency — most of these parents are probably still kids themselves, to revive a stereotype (where we live, it’s not a stereotype, it’s the rule).

• 14 Feb 2007

• Thinking