Tales From The South Side...
Now we all know that it IS officially SPRING, in spite of the consistently cooler weather (blame that on "global warming"), and since it might appear that the temperatures WILL be on the rise, we rest assured that outdoor activities will begin to flourish.
That means family activities. Getting out in the fresh air, going to the zoo, the Botanical Garden, the parks...you get the idea.
Well, that's what it means in TYPICAL NORMAL neighborhoods with typical NORMAL families.
Around here, not so much.
First off, what USED to be called a family is a mish-mosh of acquaintances, usually with an alpha female in the traditional role of the "hunter-gatherer". Next in this curious mix is some random male, usually UNemployed (or at best UNDER-employed since dropping out of school).
This male will take perverse pride in establishing himself in this "family", and will be dominant ONLY to the point that the alpha female will allow, which means if he commences to beat on HER, she might have his ass tossed out (so he can move on to his next "conquest").
Many times, after a beating (or ten), she will take the male back in, as she is as co-dependent as he thinks she is.
Then come the children.
Typically, they are products of this "extended family", coming from both male and female separately, usually number more than 3, and the adults will most likely have another child "on the way", because the male HAS to "mark his territory", before moving along. Also, it's a good way to get MORE money from the government. The kids are seen as a DEDUCTION FIRST...not a human being. That comes further down their list.

And these disenfranchised kids are pretty much left to their OWN devices...no playing catch with dad, no kite flying, no fishing...no anything really, but hanging the hell out, getting into 50 kinds of trouble.

There simply is NO discipline that is enacted.

And whoever is raising the children are just as guilty of have no sense of proper discipline for the kids OR themselves.
This will produce extreme confusion in the children early on, leading to increasingly bad behavior, poor scholastic aptitudes, and possible affiliations with GANGS or CLIQUES, as these particular venues offer a more "protective and nurturing" aspect for these kids.
Sadly, the lack of values, morality, principles and ethics seem to perpetuate the multi-generational stereotypes, and only serve to bilk the government agencies meant to help the TRULY needy to establish themselves as productive members of a city's populace.
Now I said all that to say this:
How in the name of all that is holy, can people WANT to live like this?
Why would they rather sit back, let everyone ELSE do everything else for them?
Where is the sense of personal ACCOMPLISHMENT?
I'm sorry, but there is never "something for nothing" in the purest form.
SOMEONE is always footing the bill..and that would be the REST of us.
Now, you can piss and moan about student test scores, crime, the economy, or whatever, but no matter WHAT the issue might be, it always comes back to CHOICES, be they on a large scale, or an individual's personal life.
And what makes these dysfunctional families "function", is a crapload of bad choices.
Sad thing is, they get "rewarded" FOR making those bad choices.
Hey, everyone screws up a few times in their lives...that's how we frigging LEARN to not do that kind of stuff again.
The trick is NOT to make screwing up a "chronic condition".
Couldn't seem to tell many of my "neighbors" down on the south side of town that, though.
They revel in bad choice making. They have become artists at it.
Still, the question remains...
How can people get into such a mindset where they truly BELIEVE that making bad choices is something they WANT to pursue?
I will probably never figure it out.
I've said it before that so many people down here view their world as an area that encompasses only their immediate neighborhood, no matter what city they might have come from...the thinking is the same.
Yet, there is SO much more that's out there.
Kids today suck at Geography..that's a fact. They don't even know the capital cities of neighboring states.

That's pitiful. And they have no idea about former Presidents, save for the last 2 or 3 immediate predecessors to our current one.
Like the saying goes: "If we don't learn from our past, we are destined to repeat it".
That pretty well sums up today's world.
Only one problem with that...the kids today are not even looking towards THEIR FUTURE.
And that will cost them more than they can imagine.
Whatever passes for their "family" today, might well be a far cry from what will become that same family in say...ten years.
Instead of returning to what once worked damn well, as far as the family unit is concerned, we're moving even FARTHER from it.
Now how can people function when there is NO paternal influence?
And how can even ONE parent preside over the upbringing of her children, when the government wishes to indoctrinate them at even earlier ages into a specific way of thinking?
Somehow, that just doesn't seem right.
The family, as many of remember it, IS in jeopardy.
Luckily we have single parents out there that CAN and WILL do everything in their power to make a life for themselves AS WELL AS their kids, so there is a glimmer of hope there, as well as with those that still espouse tradition with what we remember as constituting a family.
To those that are fortunate enough to have a more traditional situation, good luck with keeping it that way.
You are being fought at most every turn there.
Yeah..it's SPRINGTIME...you can tell, especially down HERE.
Those of you fortunate enough to be a TRUE parent to your child (or children)...take a few minutes, step back, and marvel in what you have produced. YOU have created our FUTURE, and how YOU manage their upbringing will determine that future's outcome, good OR bad.
When you're involved WITH your children, the outcome is good.
But when you do NOTHING...well, nothing is exactly what gets done in these children's lives.
And that outcome is something we'd best not attempt to entertain....not now...not ever.
So get outside, enjoy what life offers, and strive to be the parent that your kids need.
And while you're at it,
Stay safe out there, America.