Our Greatest Natural Resource: Children
Our Greatest Natural Resource: Our Children "Idle hands are the devil's tools." This old saying is just as relevant today as it was when it was first quoted. Children, juveniles, are especially susceptible to mischief if they are left unattended to their own devices. The fact that children commit crimes is not new. In the late nineteenth century, in the days of the wild west, a teenager by the name of William Bonney was making a name for himself in the annals of crime. William Bonney, better known by his nickname "Billy the Kid", was well-versed in crime before he turned twenty-one years old. What makes juvenile crime such a frightening prospect is not the fact that juvenile crime exists, but the types of crimes that are being committed. Equally frightening is the fact that more and more violent crimes are being by younger and younger children. Children in elementary schools are committing rape and murder. A few decades ago, parents were deeply alarmed if their children were caught smoking or reading lurid pulp fiction magazines. Today, parents are now fear that their "little Johnny" may toss a five-year-old from a fourteen story window for not agreeing to steal some candy (Bender 16).
Children who become professional athletes later in life as adults become role models for future children. Society at every level, from the parents, to the teachers, to the clergy, and to the captains of industry, must get involved in the lives of our children and help to keep them on the "straight and narrow. These adult volunteers help children in practically every area of the children's lives. Some experts theorize that everyone is sometimes inclined toward criminal behavior but that this special anchor restrains them (Grinney 59). Most cities have community league sports for children of all ages. Full time sports are another excellent diversion from delinquent activities. The school newspaper, the chess club, the debate club, and various foreign language clubs are a few examples of afterschool activities for "latch-key" kids. Schools are not the only places where children can play sports. The "Mike" refers to Michael Jordan, one of the best, if not the best, basketball player in the history of the sport. Sports can be a way to provide physical and mental health and fitness. Instead of arguing about the exact number of "little Johnnies" who are committing crimes, experts need to be more concerned with finding solutions to keep future "little Johnnies" from committing crime in the first place. While all sports are competitive by nature, community league sports are not as competitive as school sports. On the average neighborhood pee-wee football team, there are few, if any, "bench warmers.
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