The death of a child, for whatever reason, is always a tragedy. Parents raise their children with the hope that they’ll one day became parents themselves, continuing the circle of life as humans have done for generations. When a child dies, it not only breaks the chain, it destroys hopes, dreams, and sometimes families. No parent ever expects to outlive their children. The sudden, senseless, and tragic deaths of four children at a railroad crossing in Baytown this past week is something that all parents hope and pray they will never have to deal with. And yet, with all of the weeping and mourning that has taken place over the past few days, and all of the tug-at-the-heart-strings local television news reporting, one very salient fact has been overlooked. These children were in a stolen vehicle. They were all breaking the law…and yet how much of that has actually been discussed? Television stations around town have been so focused on playing up the tragic, emotional aspect of the deaths of these children that they somehow conveniently forgot to mention that the vehicle they were travelling in was stolen. These children were knowingly and willingly breaking the law. Shouldn’t that fact also be part of the discussion?
Don’t get me wrong; I recognize and fully understand that the death of a child is always a tragedy. Nonetheless, I get tired of hearing what “good kids” these were. “Good kids” don’t sneak out of their houses in the dead of night.”Good kids” don’t steal two vehicles. “Good kids” don’t take a stolen vehicle for a high-speed joyride around town. Yes, I understand that mistakes and bad decisions were made, but please spare me the rationalizing that these were “Good kids”. Where were the parents? Where was the parental control in this situation? Where were the responsible parties?
No, I’m not blaming the parents for this tragedy, but would a bit more parental involvment have made a difference in this tragedy? We’ll never know, of course, and I don’t mean to pour salt in the wounds of the grieving. By the same token, though, I’ve grown tired of those who’ve managed to conveniently forget why and how these four children died. They weren’t selling Girl Scout cookies; they were willfully and knowing breaking the law. “Good kids”? Not hardly.
