Are you fearful for your kids regarding the ever rising level of knife crime?

Question

I know we all fear for our kids safety generally, but specifically regarding what seems to be some kind of viral behaviour of fatal stabbings apparently for extraordinarily trivial reasons.

I suppose I have become more affected because my son goes to the school that one of the boys that died this week had gone to and kids knew him.

I feel like it is getting closer and closer and my older son is 12, and I really dread what kind of teenage years he is going to have - maybe losing someone close to him or even being a victim himself.

You do not have to be a Londoner to answer this question - but I am particularly interested in Londoners perspectives as it is just crazy here at the moment - getting worse every day it would seem.

Answer 1

I watch the news frequently, & it should be used as a tool to help keep us all aware of what is happening. Unfourtunately we see more violence, & crime than than anything else. Knifings, abductions, rape, murders, even simple bullying. All of this & more really worries me to the point that I try to be AWARE of what is going on at our school. Living in fear of a situation will do more harm than good!   Try also to be aware of the good & posotive things happening!

Answer 2

I live in London and I strongly agree with the point you make here. As a child I grew up on a very rough estate in London and I was around violence from an early age. It affected me in many ways, really, as everything around me was violent. My Dad was killed by a drunk driver when I was thirteen, my Mother became an alcoholic. It was easy for me to get hold of things like weapons and drugs - which I did. I became a heroin addict and frequently got into fights, some involving weapons.

There is a culture, particularly in London, that the authorities seem to be losing control of more and more. Stabbings, shootings, kidnappings and murders are happening on a regular basis and when we look at the offenders they are in the younger generation. And the reasons are trivial, and often totally unexplained. I think as a parent in this modern day it is important that we are cautious and is only natural to fear for our children. Not only fear that they might become a direct or indirect victim but also that they may even become the culprit. It's easy to get carried away wanting to 'protect' our children from all the bad out there, but the reality of it is that we can't. The best we can hope to do is educate our children enough so that they know right from wrong and how to handle a situation.

I fear for my son every day, and he is only three. I know that when he is older it will be harder. The fact is, violence is everywhere - some small scale and some larger. Even schools are becoming places of danger for children. At my son's school there have been numerous fights and bullying, but it's nothing compared to when he moves to secondary. We are seeing increases in children bringing weapons to school and assaulting other students or teachers. It's not only scary but it's terrifying.

To be honest, is there that much we can do?

Answer 3

I'm 13 and it seriously doesn't bother me...

Answer 4

Remember not to show these feelings of fear to your son or he will take them on board.

You have a decision to make here. Could you shift out of the area? If not, you simply need to educate your son about what is happening so that he is aware of the dangers. But you need to keep it in perspective for him.

The most important thing is not projecting your fear onto your son. I do understand your fears and they are valid fears. But if you cannot shift away from the area you must face these fears by being well prepared.

You must have a healthy mindset towards these things and not let these fears control you.

Answer 5

I think that it is becoming a scary world in which to be a parent.  I am a young mother of almost 3 - and I do worry about whether things will improve or deteriorate further in the few years before my own children want to go out.

I was a cocky and confident young teen who felt like the world owed her a favour; and nothing bad would happen to her.  I look back now - only 10 years on, and think 'have things gotten that bad?' or 'was I really that naive to the dangers surrounding me?'.  I will not walk to the shop late at night; nor walk home from friends houses after dark - its me and my locked car all the way.

I dont actually live in London, but in Hampshire.  There are many sub-cultures, even in the small-by-comparison town that I live in.  There are gangs of many teenagers, or younger kids (8+) just hanging around - often looking like they've been fighting, drinking or being general nuisances.

I hope that the government; or someone can somehow put an end to the crisies that Britain is in - before it is too late.  I couldn't bear to see my children go through what Ben Kinsella's (current example) friends and family are having to deal with.