Lubbock Kids Need More Choices Before They Make Bad Ones

I hope you'll understand that this comes from a place of love and not hate.

The problem is that thoughts and topics like this are usually shouted down by people who just say, "If you don't like it, leave."

Hmmm...imagine if we all just left our children because they did something we didn't like.

Please use your noggin, because that is what this is really about.

Let's start with the fact that I was a teenage screw-up. I'm talking a lot of weed, bad decisions, and plenty of bad behavior.

This happened because I went from having a nice childhood with plenty of things to do into a bad period where there wasn't much of anything. Eventually, I found some structure again through sports, weightlifting, drama, and a couple of really cool jobs.

Those things didn't instantly fix everything, but they gave me a place to be. They gave me goals. They gave me people who expected something out of me.

Sometimes a kid just needs somewhere to belong.

Now, let's take a little sidequest in this story.

I was recently among the victims of a string of vandalism incidents. I do not for one second believe it was personal. I believe it was teens just being bored.

They literally had nothing to do. Some may have bad home lives. Some may have just been looking for attention or excitement. So, busting things, defacing property, and stealing became their way of acting out.

Lubbock Gives Teens Too Much Time To Be Destructive

Now let's get to Lubbock.

We are partially culpable in all of this.

That does not mean people shouldn't be held responsible for their choices. They absolutely should. It just means we also have to look at the bigger picture.

We haven't led a focused effort to serve all citizens up and down the line, and that includes those awkward middle years.

What's a kid with little to no money supposed to do with their extra time?

Even joining a summer sports team requires money for equipment, fees, and transportation. There's no pool waiting for them. Their own behavior has gotten many ejected from places like the mall.

So where exactly are they supposed to go?

And before someone says, "Well, those aren't my kids, so why should I care?" here's the uncomfortable truth.

Sorry, but someone else's kids become your problem when they're destroying your stuff, breaking into your car, or making your neighborhood a worse place to live.

That's not an excuse for bad behavior. Wrong is wrong, and consequences matter.

But if we only start caring about kids after they've already created victims, then we've waited too long.

It's much easier to help point a kid in the right direction than it is to repair the damage after they've already found the wrong one.

All of this comes from not taking a moment and getting our priorities straight.

Let me ask you this: would you rather have new streets downtown or a new pool for kids?

Well, guess which one you're getting.

Do you not see how some of the bad behavior out there could be relieved with pools, parks with activities, and other positive programs?

There are certainly people trying to step in and save kids before they start getting institutionalized in jail-type situations, but it takes a whole village.

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I'm fortunate that I can do my part, employing about a hundred of them every year.

I get to see firsthand what happens when young people are given responsibility, trust, expectations, and a place where they matter.

Just imagine if we made it a priority to reach a few hundred more.

Or a few thousand more.

Maybe instead of only asking why kids are making bad choices, we should also ask if we've given them enough good ones.