At one time, no child would ever think of striking a parent let alone murdering one, but since times have changed, parenting techniques have changed, for the worst and not the better. More parents find it increasingly difficult to raise their children in light of today's moral backdrop.

Having to compete with television - which acts more as a babysitter than anything - with twisted music lyrics, the violence of video games and the pressures of peers, parenting skills have subsided, which diminishes the ability to discipline. And many parents have all but given up by turning child rearing over to all the above.

What suffers most are values, respect for authority, and the self-discipline it takes to maintain control over ones own actions. Society has turned out more juvenile criminals than ever before to the point where the American judicial system try teens as adults. This is because teens are committing crimes at one time only adults committed, such as murder, rape, and violent assaults.

The sad part is that adult victims of juvenile assault were family members. According to the most recent stats, "parents and stepparents accounted for 9% of all victims of aggravated assaults committed by juveniles and 13% of all simple assaults by juveniles. However, among assault victims older than 30, parents and stepparents accounted for much larger shares: 37% for aggravated assault and 52% for simple assault."

The parents most likely to be assaulted are those in the age range of 40-49. These are generation X parents who are the children of the Baby boomers. They are the ones who comprised the latchkey population of the early 70s. They are the first to actually experience separation from the family unit. Therefore, they grew with the same skills, to allow other forces to raise their children instead of themselves.

These stats say that there is definitely a lack of respect for parents today than there were 30 years ago. They also suggest that morals and values have failed in our society and are not as significant as they once were. There is a nonchalant mentality that has taken hold on today's youth, a feeling of apathy and indifference. They lack vision, encouragement, and a sense of security in the present world.

White and black children feel have less to live for, except from a different perspective. White children see dysfunctional families where security and tradition once reigned, and they see less parental involvement, while their parents work to become rich. Black children see the same but also the hardships suffered by their parents, more single parents, and less reason to build a family of their own. Instead of college as a vision, they see sports and music as saviors and place no faith in the family institution.

This indifference from teens and the abandonment of many parents concerning actual child rearing, has caused a rise in parental assault, brought on by resentment and anger. What makes the situation worst is that parents do not try to mend the pain their children suffer but resort to psychotherapy, drugs to control their children, and other outside expertise to alter their children's behavior.

If this cycle continues, in the next 20 years, America's family values will cease and morality will suffer much more. Assaults will increase to murder and simple arguments will lead to assaults on parents. The solution to this is one that society has not time for, which would be to restructure the family unit and return to the traditional family life. However, as times continue to change and people support this change and glamorize it, so will our troubles.

© 2004 by C.R. Hamilton