The distressing subject of knife crime is once again making the headlines, particularly with the tragic death of teenager Rob Knox. This is a subject which touches everyone whether you fear being a victim or are a parent of teenagers. But what can be done about this and where does the finger point?
There are many who will say that parents need to take more responsibility for their children, but teenagers are in that that place where parents face a dilemma; they have to decide how much responsibility to hand over.
So to what extent can parents reasonably take responsibility for their children while at the same time allowing them the freedom to discover the world for themselves? The natural instinct of some parents may be to try and exert control over many aspects of their children’s lives – choice of friends, places they go and when they return home at night. Is this absolutely the right thing to do or could this lead to alienation and secrecy?
The police will say (and have said), that that they need the help of parents to tackle this. So when your teenager says they don’t carry a knife do you believe them?
In one case a parent described how she would search the teenager’s bedroom while they were out.
What do you think is the cause? Is a knife amnesty the answer? What should be done? What advice would you give to parents?
