to expect people to keep their teenagers under control in the park

[fledtoscotland]

the title says it all really.

I am totally sick of taking my DC aged 1 & 2 to the park to find it vandalised by teenagers.

At the weekend we walked to our nearest to find the baby swing has been broken by teenagers standing in it (they were doing it at the time so I know they were approx 14/15yrs old), glass everywhere, dropping their litter after them. When I walked up to them they ran off so I didn't even get a chance to give them a piece of my mind.

yesterday walked to the other park in the town (further but usually nicer) to find the baby swing again vandalised although this lot had used some imagination and set fire to it , the slide had been spray painted and there was glass round the see-saw.

Just to set the scene, I have two dogs. yes they have both got their Good Citizen certificates from the Kennel club, yes they can be excitable and yes they get tied up if there are any other people at the swing parks (although in my town the parks aren't fenced off so you can take dogs up to the swings.

I would be lynched if I didn't pick up after my dogs or repair any damage they caused yet parents seem to thing that any damage their precious teenagers cause is part of life.

am going to don hard hat now while I'm told that I am totally out of line - at least I feel better now I've got it off my chest

Virtually all the teenagers I work with - in fact thinking about, all the teenagers I work with are working class and some are very very deprived in many ways. The vast majority of these young people are great. They haven't always been easy to work with but they are really great kids who will go on to make great adults.

Asbo's were aimed at inner-city estates to tackle anti social behaviour that the police had not bothered with. Would be interesting to see how many were issued in the suburbs.