" Feral " children !

Last weekend the New South Wales police had a blitz on under age children roaming the Sydney CBD in the early hours of the morning.   About a dozen kids aged about fourteen - boys and girls - came to their notice and police report that all were affected by either excessive amounts of alcohol - or drugs.

The police complain that when they contacted the parents of these children there was little response.  No parent took the trouble to come and collect their child and the police had the responsibility of taking them to their homes across the wide spectrum of Sydney.

Is it fair to point the finger at the parents without having a long, hard look at the options open to them ?

We live in a society where legions of civil liberties people have reduced parents powers to control their offspring.   Every form of discipline seems to be contentious - but corporal punishment is now considered an " assault " by most child authorities, including magistrates.   Even a mother who gives an unruly toddler a small smack on the leg is often vilified by passers-by.

The laws have changed to make it perfectly legal for a juvenile to refuse to live in the family home. In fact, the welfare system will actually pay a stipend and help such a child find accommodation if there is a claim of  " abuse " - and today's kids are very canny when it comes to manufacturing a story that will bring support from the authorities.

Suppose some of those parents had responded by driving into the city to collect their son or daughter.  The moment they returned home, the child  would have been under no legal obligation to go to bed - or even remain in the house.     The police would have discharged their responsibility for the child - and the parent would be powerless to exert any form of control.

In many cases it is not lack of interest that makes parents walk away in such situations.  Often it is just one more crisis in a long, long road of heartbreak.    There comes a time in any parents life when they must recognise that they have a feral child.   If that child has passed the point of no return, then their efforts are better spent shielding any siblings from a similar fate.

Life is a balance and it seems that the scales of justice have dipped a long way in the wrong direction.  We will never return to the days when some children were mercilessly thrashed by demonic parents or children were mere chattels - with no rights.   But, parents have rights too - and that seems to have been forgotten in the rush to install " justice " for children.

Sadly, there is no prospect of  achieving a balance of equality because the community points of view are so far apart that the politicians will avoid meaningful action.

The future seems to be a promise of " more of the same ! "

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