should parents be responsible for their children actions

First, some definitions:Parent: a person who is a father or mother : a person who has a child. . http://www.merriam-webster.com...Responsible: 1) having the job or duty of dealing with or taking care of something or someone. 2) able to be trusted to do what is right or to do the things that are expected or required. 3) involving important duties, decisions, etc. , that you are trusted to do. . http://www.merriam-webster.com...Child: a son or daughter. . http://www.merriam-webster.com... I believe parents should be responsible for their children's actions for several reasons:I. Being responsible for that which you created. Anyone can argue that we were born alone and will die alone, but the truth of the matter is that we are sentient beings which were created through a physical act carried out by our parents. This act was that of two humans having intercourse and as a result - started the mechanisms for creating a new human, i. e. - the process of conception and birth. Sadly, there are many cases where irresponsible parents conceive a child without knowing the full ramifications or responsibilities that having a child comes with. Nonetheless, in this world, it is a human characteristic to care for the young, especially the young that came from oneself which is the role that fathers and mothers either willingly or mistakenly sign up for when having a child. Even lesser beings known as animals show signs of caring for their young. This is nothing more than an intrinsic value or emotional tool that we seem to have been born with or that comes rather instinctively from within. It is common knowledge that it is the parents responsibility to care for that child, which came from them, and to teach that child the important values that reflect their societies moral compass as they are growing up and developing in their new world. Without the care of a mother, the child would starve to death from a lack of nutrition normally received during breast-milk feeding as an infant. We are not creatures that can survive on our own from birth, fact. Thus the age-old tradition (caring for the young) has formed out of necessity to care for the infants and young that would naturally die off otherwise. This trait that has naturally developed out of necessity carries over into the later years of childhood development when the infant now has the ability to conceptualize and introduce order into their perceived reality. As an animal with a natural herd mentality, humans have developed a system of learning how to organize and structure their perceived world by watching and following the instructions of those who are older than themselves. Roles such as instructors, teachers, and masters have formed to be a common part of our own society now in these modern times from such ancient traditions of passing knowledge down from one generation to the next. This is also how we have been able to continue with forward progress, by building on the foundations layed before us. The same ideology can and is applied to parents who have chosen to bring forth a new life into the world and now carry the burden of passing down their knowledge to their next generation. II. The outcomes of passing knowledge to the next generationWhen a man or woman assumes the role of parent, creating a foundation of understanding for the offspring is a necessity. Due to the intrinsic nature of our herd mentality, the child will look for instruction from those who are closest to it, which more often than not - are its parents. As I have stated earlier, knowing that the man and woman themselves learned from their parents, it is more likely than not that they themselves understand what they must do in order to secure the best life for their child - teach them to the best of their ability. Although schools are responsible for educating the youth, one must realize that education is not all that is necessary for guaranteeing the best outcome possible when shaping your child for the adult world. More often that not, parents will tend to help their children on homework assignments, and the responsible ones would go so far as to ask what the child learned that day in school - followed by discussing the topics with the child and making sure that the child understands whatever lesson was taught that day. Without the assistance or positive reinforcement from the parents, the child might run the risk of falling behind in class or failing to understand the importance of education altogether. Without learning to appreciate the knowledge taught in school, or having the ability to reflect on what they were taught with an adult they trust, the risk of failure rises exponentially. Please see the link below for further verification of the claims I am making pertaining to the beneficial role of having active parents in the realm of schooling and education. . http://www2.ed.gov... III. Kids just being kids A common argument posed in such debates is that children sometimes just want to explore and experiment. That parents just don't have the control they are portrayed as having and that every kid goes through a phase of ignoring the parents. While this is true in most cases, it would be extremely foolish to believe that not once has a child actually listened to their parent. More often than not, if the child is rebelling, it is most likely due to either neglect from a parent or an undisclosed emotional issue that the child doesn't feel comfortable enough expressing. Sometimes, children are stricken with emotions that they themselves don't know how to express properly yet, which again, falls into the category of knowledge that should have been passed down from the parents. Remember, we are not arguing if parents are responsible themselves, but rather if they are responsible for their children. I would never claim that parents are perfect, and for the most part, a problem child often comes from a problem family. Regardless, until the child is at the legal age of adulthood recognised by the US government to be 18 - the parents could be held responsible. There have been several cases where parents are charged with crimes that their children committed. More often than not, these cases included charges like the one listed below: Failure to supervise: Negligent Supervision Laws govern the liability of adults who have failed to exercise their duty of care when monitoring children. A person may become liable for negligent supervision if: They know (or have reason to know) that the child must be controlled or protected, AND They have failed to do so . http://www.legalmatch.com... Furthermore, with their being such a law as Child Neglect:. https://www.childwelfare.gov......It is hard to imagine why someone would ever think that it is alright to fail to recognize the responsibility placed on adults when children are involved. If the parent is going to be held responsible for harming a child, or failing to protect a child - then it is clear that parents most certainly bear a responsibility for their children's actions as well. One simply cannot expect to be responsible over all aspects of a child's life, only to throw away all responsibility the moment a child commits a crime, which is what my opponent is trying to imply. I can only hope that the evidence I provided is enough to awaken within each and every once of us a sense of responsibility for when we ourselves have children and young lives depending on us to show them how to live.