Today our group sat around and ate doughnuts and complained about how much work we have to do in this class and how tired we are. She listed all kinds of causes for behavioral problems, a regular buffet of joy. There's the usual horror of physical and mental abuse. Kids whose parents burn them with cigarettes and teach them to snort coke. But it gets worse.
Some parents withhold food from their kids as punishment.
Some will not wash their clothes or give them money to go to a laundromat. Some parents lay around drunk or stoned all day and scream at their kids if they bother them. As I listened to this, I thought, no wonder kids act out. It amazes me that they can get themselves out of bed and dressed everyday. If I had this kind of life, I not only wouldn't do my homework, I'd feel like smashing a few windows on the side.