Lawmakers want to bring the National Guard in to combat the rampant violence in Chicago. That is NOT the solution to the problem. It took YEARS for these problems to get to this level; it’s going to take YEARS more to undo what’s been done. Repair will begin when the roots of these problems are addressed. In my opinion, some of the contributing problems are: lack of parenting, lack of community, lack of family support, media as baby sitters, and politics in Chicago. Let me explain.

Lack of parenting. Old school parenting came with rules and IMMEDIATE consequences. Many of us feared our parents; even if they were single parents (I’m still scared of my mother). Over the last few years, parenting became lax; time parents spent with their children decreased; parents started disappearing; parents got younger; and parents started being friends with their offspring. Consequences changed drastically. Ours used to hurt. What the hell’s a time out? We got whippings as soon as we did anything. Our punishment was usually the removal of something we liked. There were no negotiations. There was no “If you do or don’t this, then….” No; if we didn’t do what we were supposed to do, punishment immediately ensued. Let’s bring old school back…even if it hurts.

Lack of community. Remember when everyone in the community knew each other? And, if you got in trouble your neighbors had permission to punish you. They would tell your parents and you got in trouble again. Classic. Most people don’t even know who lives next door to them these days. Thus, they probably won’t tell you when your child misbehaves because they don’t know you. It truly does take a village to raise a child, and this lack of community contributes to the failure of all children.

Lack of family support. It’s a known fact that many children are being raised in single parent homes headed by women. This is taxing and stressful. Then, add all of the invisible factors with which parents compete, and you have borderline insanity. Help is needed. Parents and children need adults who genuinely care about the well-being of the child. Parents need to know they can drop their babies off in caring and safe environments. Unfortunately, that is not the case these days. Not even with family members. And the discord in families is terrible (mine included). Can’t we all just get along? Well, at least try… 

Media as baby sisters. Media has more power over children than parents. They are telling your children how to live, think, and act. This is not just TV. Radio, the internet, and video games are also culprits. Unfortunately, most adults (I’m guilty) do not know what the young people in their lives are watching or listening to. They also do not know which websites they’re visiting (many don’t even know how to use the internet!) or what’s on the video games they are playing. We need to be more in tune and consider alternate forms of babysitting. We also need to spend more time with youngsters. Things we can do together: Reading, writing, homework, and exercise.

Politics in Chicago. Corruption touches politics in some aspect whether it is intended or not. Unfortunately, the corruption in Chicago has directly impacted the young people. Money is being taken away from education to fund income generating projects and sometimes irrelevant projects like adding flowers and trees in the middle of the streets or cleaning The Bean in Millennium Park. Essentially, money is being taken away from the poor to benefit the rich. Or, it’s being spent fruitlessly.

Anyway, how are children expected to be productive when after school programs and activities are continually being cut? Do the powers that be really think ONE teacher can really educate 37 children with different personalities and learning levels in one class? Why are some school books and building updated and not others? Why aren’t teachers paid more? This is a loaded topic so I’ll stop here.

I could go on, but I won’t. All I’m saying is – The National Guard will not combat Chicago’s violence problem. Chaos was not created overnight; it will not be solved overnight. If lawmakers really want to solve the problem, they need to address ALL the root causes and contributing factors to these problems including their lack of action and apathy. Until this happens, Chicago’s body count will continue to exceed the current military casualty count.