It's Our Gang...Not 'Da Gang...

Yeah, I really miss watching the Little Rascals...those shorts of the 1930s showing small kids with "problems" which by the end of the film had resolved itself to every one's pleasure. Whether you liked Spanky, Alfalfa, Froggy, Darla, Buckwheat, Butch, or my personal favorite "rascal"...Stymie (love the derby hat with the chinstrap), you remember laughing your butt off at their antics... And I SO much wanted a dog like "Petey"...what youngster didn't?

Thank the maker for DVDs, eh?

Today, we've nothing such as this to make us chuckle. In fact, whenever we hear about ANY gang or "clique"...we can feel our heartbeat quicken, and maybe our palms begin to sweat, especially if we have children. As parents, we can only HOPE our kids would turn out like Spanky, instead of R. Kelly. And just like parents of generations past, we cannot be with our kids 24/7.

We "trust" in the school system to PROTECT our kids (oh,and educate them somewhere in that mix as well). We "trust" in family members and neighbors to watch out for them, and NOT submit them to any form of abuse. We "trust" in the police to keep them from harm, but again, the police can't be everywhere all at once. And we "trust" in whatever church we attend to minister to them the values we espouse, the morals we try to emulate, and the ethics we strive for, without fear of further abuse.

Like the old Saying goes: "Trust in Allah...but tie up your camel!"

Now don't go tying up the kids....that's not what it means!

It's only saying that a little skepticism now and then IS a GOOD thing. And we should be skeptical. With skepticism comes knowledge, discernment, and wisdom...and hopefully the ability to tell the difference.

We've got too much of too much that our kids are exposed to, be it sex, violence, drugs...you name it. We can guide our kids, hoping WE'VE made all the right calls.

Yes indeed, the problems that the Little Rascals encountered pale in comparison to problems kids face each day. If it's not being SHOT, it's being killed by a drunk driver, or being assaulted by older kids for a few bucks, or being stabbed because they're smarter than the bullys.
It's this new breed of "gang" that should have any parent (or adult) worried. Gangs "ain't just for socializin' any more", people. It's not at all what OUR GANG used to be...not by a long shot!

And the cliques are becoming JUST AS BAD...I've always said they're the breeding grounds for future gang "recruits"...think of it as the ROTC of "gangdom". Where Our Gang used to "play hooky" from school to go to the fishing hole, today's "gangs" would much rather get expelled from school, so they can spend some "quality time with 'da boyz" and break into some cars at the mall, or rob some unsuspecting senior of their SSI check, or even trash some one's house for no damn reason at all.

We need to explore more of this gang mentality, as this proving ground for the "Future Criminals of America" needs to talked about. After all, it's our children's' future that is at stake.

And THEIR future is but one part of the MUCH larger picture.