Anger breeds anger

Sean and I had the pleasure, once again, to go to the snow on the weekend. Followed by a beautiful day on Saturday with great snow and sunshine was a Sunday that was wet and slushy with a 60km/ hour wind …. Not very pleasant. Needless to say we were on our way home early on Sunday afternoon.

At around 2pm we were driving through Queanbeyan and four young boys, no older than 14, threw a golf ball at our windscreen. We must have been blessed by an angel that 1) Our windscreen didn’t smash immediately and both of us suffer severe cuts and potentially a golf ball to the head and 2) Sean didn’t crash the car after the thump right in front of him.

The four kids didn’t even run, they just kept on walking by like nothing had happened, obviously practised in the art of throwing golf balls. We pulled over to check the windscreen was OK and yelled at the kids to go home. Both Sean and I were absolutely furious, not just at the golf ball in the windscreen, but the fact that we were entirely helpless in the situation and that these kids were acting as if they were untouchable … Essentially they were!

In the ‘good old days’ the man present would have got out of the car and given the kids a hiding. The kids would be remorseful, learnt their lesson and be taken home to their parents to get another sound ‘talking to’. Sean and I however couldn’t’ do anything. The scary thing about our society today is that if we did attempt the old school approach we would likely end up in court on assault charges, or with a knife in our ribs for our troubles. We simply drove on.

It was interesting how helpless we felt, and we almost spontaneously adopted their anger and obvious frustration. We discussed our options and ended up at Queanbeyan Police Station. It’s not our place to judge (as difficult as that is at times) so we put it in the hands of the law. The police officer was really helpful and jumped in his car straight away to try find them. I’m not sure what they can do, but at least these kids didn’t get off scott free.

On the drive home we spoke about the challenges our society has and the way discipline has been taken away; these kids are a direct result of that decision. I wish their parents cared. I wish they were shown love as children. I wish they were able to acknowledge and deal with their own emotions. I wish they were able to see a future for themselves beyond what the people around them have achieved. I wish they knew they were loved.

The challenge we have as a society is to pick up the pieces. How do we take these kids that often fill us with their contagious anger, and show them love? How can we give them hope in their future? How can we instil in them a gratitude for their life? I honestly believe that when we find the answers to these questions we will start to reshape our society.

What can you do to reshape our youth?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1) Be a great role model. If you don’t have a lot to do with kids, or teens, then at the very least be a great role model. You never know who is admiring you, and who you are setting a great example for.
2) Be interested in their lives. If they want to be an actor and you think they should go to uni, make a point of understanding their wishes and dreams; everyone wants to be heard.
3) Show them love. Often when kids start to get bumps and bits, right at the critical stage, we step back from the physical contact and hugging each other. They need our affection for ever.
4) Encourage and inspire them. Don’t force motivation down their throats, and try not to push too hard to get them moving, just help them discover for themselves what they love to do and encourage them to do that.
5) Share your values with them and discuss why certain things are important to you. Help them understand what values are and develop their own set of standards.
6) Be active. Do fun things and help them see how fun life can be. Bored kids can often turn in to destructive kids.

Good luck, I hope you take up the challenge and together that we are able to spread a more positive and loving vibe around Wollongong, if not Australia and the globe!