Lesson 6: Building Anger Management Skills
A Parent's Liability
Legal penalties for parental liability in cases of juvenile crime are increasing. And they should. Too many parents excuse or rationalize their child’s actions. The courts take a very dim view of such parents, and impose stiff monetary fines on them.
You are legally liable for everything your child does. Parents who allow drinking or narcotics usage in their homes face the full force of the law and wrath of the courts. It is not enough to feed, clothe and shelter a child. A parent's role is to educate and guide their children to be moral, ethical beings.
If you discover your child has committed a crime and fail to intervene, you are criminally liable. If you allow children to drink in your home, and they go out and kill someone, you are criminally liable. If your child is using drugs, and you don’t seek help at every level available to you, you may lose all the children in your home. If drugs and paraphernalia are found in your home or car, you can lose both, under federal asset forfeiture laws.
As parents we have a legal obligation to use every means available to seek help for our children. This covers acting out in school continually, addiction, theft, bullying and more.
Waiting for school districts to take care of your problem is unrealistic and inappropriate. It is the parent's job and no one else’s. It means being proactive rather than reactive and trying to head off problems before they begin.
If your child gets into legal trouble, be prepared to document all the things you did as a parent to prevent it. This includes any family guidelines and education you have provided your children. Generally, judges tend to look favorably on parents who are very involved in their children’s lives. Not just putting them in sports and activities, but being involved on a daily basis. If the judge finds you have performed your parental duty adequately, he can then safely assign the punishment where it truly belongs.
This is an aspect of parenting few people look at. Unfortunately in our complex society it has become increasingly necessary for parents to protect themselves. Much of this would be totally unnecessary if we just acted like parents in the first place.
What would you do if your child got into trouble?
