[Cerek]

Originally posted by Bahamut: I have been enjoying violence in video games. In fact it has kept me sane. [img]smile.gif[/img] I mean come on, it's a video game. It has RATINGS to begin with so that very young children aren't able to get their hands on it. Parents also should be supervising their children. Bottom line is: if the parents know their children real well, this would not have happened. Apathy and non-action is the ultimate recipe for these types of situations.

Sorry, Bahamut, but I can't completely agree with your last sentiment. I've known parents who did everything they could to raise their kids right, and still had them turn out to be lawbreakers.

The two teens from Columbine were brought up in very respectable (and rather wealthy) homes. They had every socio-economic advantage a teen could want, but still went on one of the worst killing sprees this country has ever seen. Sure, it's easy to blame the parents and accuse them of not paying any attention to the kids and their actions. They were dressing in black all the time, but many of our OWN members here went through a "goth period" during their teens. And it is normal for ALL teens to go through a "rebellious" period as they establish their own identities. ANY parent who has a teen knows that trying to "pry" into their kids actions during this phase will often lead to the kid becoming even MORE reclusive and rebellious.

I agree that parents do have a HUGE responsibility to be aware of what their kids are doing and thinking, but even the best parent in the world can't always predict or control what their child does. And how many parents would honostly believe their son was capable of that kind of horrific act???

Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the kids themselves. The parents can only do so much.