Re: Wendy Dager’s May 26 column, “Don’t let those kids become statistics”:
I am surprised that The Star’s columnist would attempt to hold parents responsible for their kids’ actions while riding scooters in and around a school.
Does she not believe that these parents have counseled their kids dozens of times about riding scooters safely? But kids are kids, and at that age, many believe they are immortal. This thought stays with them for many years, sometimes into their 20s.
What she calls “crazy stunts” are simply kids trying to express their individuality. Let them be!
Would it really be necessary to call the police? Is the purpose of a “big, tough uniformed cop” to intimidate kids? How would she feel if she thought that a “big, tough uniformed cop” was intimidating one of her kids?
Yelling at kids is not the appropriate action either. If she felt compelled to share some information with these kids, she might have tried to reason with them, pointing out that not all drivers are as attentive as they should be, especially around schools.
Parents should not be held responsible for what their kids are doing after school. Parents have to work, usually both parents. Just because school gets out early doesn’t mean that the parents are able to leave work early. These kids were probably doing their best to go home, or maybe to the Boys and Girls Club.
Give the kids, and their parents, a break!
— Jerre Reimers, Simi Valley
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