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Parents and guardians must remember they are responsible for more than keeping children alive for 18 years. It's not up to the school system or --perish the thought -- their friends to teach them how to use common sense and exercise personal responsibility while navigating life.
A reminder popped up recently, when West Virginia's Wood County Schools posted about an elementary student who told a bus full of kids he or she had a gun, and then pulled out a squirt gun.
"At no time was there any danger to students, and the bus driver spoke to both the child and a parent about the seriousness of the situation," the message read.
But it goes on to make an important point:
"This is a good opportunity for parents to remind their children it is never appropriate for a student to joke about having a weapon, and even carrying a toy weapon can cause panic and potentially lead to serious consequences," the message continues.
" … We ask parents to help us in teaching children about responsible behaviors."
Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Aren't parents supposed to be doing that heavy lifting, with the schools assisting?
It seems that isn't happening nearly as much as it should.
Talk to your kids. Talk to them young and don't stop talking about using their heads and behaving intelligently and responsibly.
Failure to take that step does more than let them down.
It could be deadly.