Should parents ultimately be made to take responsibility for the crimes of their offspring?

Question

I cant believe they dont know what their kids get up to.

Answer 1

I think it depends on the crime.  For example, if you leave your keys lying around and your kid takes the keys and smashes the car up, then yes, you should.  However, if say 1am your child decides to kill someone, then no.  I know oftentimes parents are held responsible and its sad.  Nobody can watch their child 24-7, and it always seems to be responsible parents who get a bad rap.

Answer 2

yes they should as i will, parents treat their kids as mates this day and age which is wrong, my foot will be firmly down and if he steps out of line trust me i will know and ill deal with it as soon as he does, im not strict but i will be firm

Answer 3

Yes parents should be held responsible for what their kids do..I see 10 year old kids walking down the street dressed like gang bangers. Why would any parent let a kid leave the house dressed like that?

Answer 4

What a good answer "sandrad4 " the best of the bunch, and if they were all brought up with those values... we would not be far wrong....It is sad these days that even a lot of Parents do not have any values... so its a no hoper for the kids. !!

Answer 5

Well, they are legally responsible for them until they are 18.

Answer 6

Absolutely!  Until the age of 18....

Answer 7

It is according to what they have done,and did the parents have knowledge prior to the incident.That is what my opinion is,we can't constantly keep an eye on our children even though we would like too.I do believe that the parent is liable,but also only if it could have been prevented by the parents

Answer 8

It would depend on the kid's age.  If they're old enough, then they pay the penalty.

And, depending on a child's "younger " age, as Shakespeare would have said, "therein lies the rub."  How do you punish a 6 year old who is fighting and pushes a another kid down some stairs, thus injuring or killing another child?  I think you'd need the wisdom of Solomon for that one.

Now, if a 12 year old gets caught spray-painting a wall or someone's garage, then you might have a case for punishing the parents, especially if the incident took place about 2 o'clock in the morning when the kid would have been home.

"Add to the mix" when parents get a "bad seed" kid who needs a jail cell in order to be controlled (and there are those kinds of kids out there, that's for sure!).

A tough call, that's for sure!

Answer 9

yes and I have.Until about 15yrs old then I think they should take full responsibility

Answer 10

Interesting question.  Parents should take the responsiblity of raising a child with respect, dignity and love.  If a child lives with criticism , he learns to condemn...If a child lives with hostility , he learns to fight.  If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.  If a child lives with Shame, he learns to feel guilty.  If a child lives with Tolerance, he learns to be patient,  If a child lives with encourangement, he learns to be confident.  If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.  If a child lives with fairness, he learns Justice.  If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.  If a child lives with Approval, he learns to like himself.  If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find Love in the world.  We are responsible for providing all of these good things for our children, but life happens, and when they go astray, we have to know we did the best we could do and  then we have to let them go to accept the consequences of their actions.  Most of all it is our responsibilty to pray for our children every day .

Answer 11

NO, because 'you' did what you did, your parents didn't do it.  People have to be made responsible for their own actions. It's called accountability.  That seems to be a value that is lost in today's society.