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26 Av 5761 - August 15, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Street Gangs -- A Vicious Cycle

by R' Zvi Zobin

A street gang is one thing we cannot blame on the school. It develops during the evenings and nights when children are under the full responsibility of their parents.

Usually, they develop as harmless groups of children who play together in the afternoons and early evenings. They play, cycle or roller blade together, enjoying each other's company. They enjoy themselves so much that they tend to come home later and later, until groups of children can be seen roaming the local streets until nine, ten or even eleven o'clock at night.

Children of those ages need to be getting between ten and twelve hours of sleep a night, so when they get to school the next morning, they are tired and cannot concentrate on their lessons. They become restless, the teacher tries to control them and the children begin to acquire characteristics of ADD and ADHD. The children feel threatened and turn inwards for self support.

They get no satisfaction from their studies, so the evening activities become the focal point of their day. They stay out even longer and seek their satisfaction from their group. They start searching for more interesting activities and lose interest in their schooling.

The vicious cycle is being created.

The more the child turns to the gang, the less dependent he feels on his parents. The longer he stays out at night, the more tired he is during the following day. He resists waking up, feels attacked by the school and when the parents try to correct the situation, the children feel supported by the group and feel brazen enough to resist and challenge their parents.

This gang now becomes the "bad boys." Parents tell their children not to play with them. The gang becomes a distorted elite group which tries to assert itself on the "goody goodies." They begin to become a mafia, seeking more fulfillment in the only ways they know.

By this stage, the parents might have lost control over their children. If their schools have thrown them out, the chevra might form their own colony, renting their own apartments.

There is little the parents can do then, except to seek experienced advice, maintain contact and to keep open the "line of return" -- which is vital.

The easiest way to deal with street gangs is to prevent them from forming.

If children are home, in bed, by the time they need to ensure they get a good night's sleep, there is no risk of gangs forming! Except during vacation time, no child should be out in the streets later than 8:00 p.m.

If children seem to be playing for long periods with a specific group, it is important that parents should pay them surprise visits. Note if your children are happy to see you or if they seem to cover up and look guilty.

Parents need to take seriously complaints from other children or parents of other children. As a deterrent, children should know that you investigate every complaint. Even if this time they were not to blame, they will know that they will have to account for their actions.

 

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