Mass Shootings & Parenting

Such a controversial topic, so I will try to tread lightly. Regardless of your feelings for or against gun control, I would argue that the issue starts way before the weapon. It starts with the individuals behind the mass shootings; the issue begins long before the fateful event. Maybe the person is struggling with a mental illness, which is unfortunately the case a lot of the time. Some of which misprescribed pharmaceutical drugs played a huge role, but that's a whole other conversation. But to go along with mental illness, a lot of these criminals have a tragic background. They didn't have loving parents show them the ropes of life, teach them how to be responsible citizens, how to love one another. They didn't have parents to protect them from the evils of the world. They didn't have structure and discipline to guide their path. They didn't have parents who were present enough to show them the differences between right and wrong. 

If you grew up in a stable household with a loving parent/parents, who guided you, taught you, and disciplined you, you will most likely not grow up to have the desire to murder others. Nobody is perfect and parenting is hard, but there has definitely been a shift in the types of discipline and punishment in this country. Everyone wants to be politically correct, they don't want to hurt their child's feelings, they want to be friends with their kids, and the parents lose grasp of what it means to guide their children and truly be the parent. "Don't fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won't kill them. Physical discipline may well save them from death." Proverbs 23:13-14.

There is also a huge increase of "kids having kids" which makes it very hard to set a good foundation for the little ones. More and more people should come together and help one another on the journey of parenthood. Maybe we should resort back to the notion of "it takes a village to raise a kid". People tend to keep to their own and mind their own business instead of lending advice when you see a mother struggling to get her child to listen. Encourage one another during parenting struggles. There is no manual and we are all on the journey to do what's best for our children. 

Now obviously parenting is not the root cause of all mass shootings; that is not what I'm promoting. But it is interesting to hear the backgrounds of some of these individuals who were behind these killings. For example, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who were the the boys who shot up Columbine High School, built their bombs in the basement of their parents home, unbeknownst to their parents. They had also started a blog bashing their parents, school and friends. A former friend of Harris found out about the blog and immediately told his parents, to which his parents reported it to Jefferson Police Department. Unfortunately, no preventative measures were taken by the police which ultimately led to one of the most tragic school shootings in history. Regardless of the terrible circumstances that unfolded on April 20, 1999, Harris and Klebold's parents should not be held accountable for what their sons did as everyone has free will. The Bible says, "The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent's sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child's sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behaviors, and the wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness." Ezekiel 18:20.

"It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel." Proverbs 17:21 Parents, get involved in your kid's life. Talk to them over dinner about their day, be interested in their lives. Check in on them in their rooms; meet their friends and their friends' parents. Spend time on the weekends with your children; make it a priority to have a relationship with you child. You never know how much of an impact spending a little time could do in your child's life. "Only a fool despises a parent's discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise." Proverbs 15:5.