There is an insightful article in the Mobile Register this morning concerning school truancy. A Mobile Family Court Judge rounded up dozens of parents of children who were severely truant in the public schools. Many pleaded guilty, some will fight the charges and some didn’t even bother to show up.
To me, the most interesting part of the article are two key observations.
- A significant number of parents who pleded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor (the truency charge) also tested positive for illegal drugs!
- A significant number of parents who pleded guilty were single moms or moms trying to raise their children with no male influence, assistance or leadership! The Fathers were AWOL!
Now, what are we to make of this? Simply this: Parents are leading their children somewhere. It may be a good place or it may be bad but parents are teaching their children everyday. We ought not be surprised to see children with school problems coming from homes with parents who are absent either physically or because they are too drugged out to care.
Read the article and let us know what you think.
