Tales from the open space
I took my boys down to the Park yesterday to play of the swings and climbing frame. The park was being used by a large number of teenagers, most of whom were in the toddler section of the park, and just chilling on the benches.
Anyway, Liam whose 2 insisted on going on the swings whilst Kie wanted to play on the little climbing frame.
After doing a quick glass recky (passable by council standards, approx 15 shards of glass in a toddlers park) I let Kie go and put Liam on the swings.
Just as I was about to get swinging him, a lad of 12 (the spokes man) strolled up with his mates and asked me if I minded not playing on the football, as they are playing football.
I politely told the little urchin that these swings were made for little children to be pushed in, and not as goal posts, and there was a perfectly good football pitch only a few meters away - or failing that they could play on the schools car park.
I told him I did understand where he was coming from, as he was here first, but seeing as this is the toddlers area and he was no toddler we had ever right to be there.
He did tell me that the court was dangerous and the boys playing in there were a bit rough for him to play with.
About 20 minutes later, we were also witness to a sight I've not seen since a saturday night many years ago. The grown up who the urchin belonged to dropped his kegs by the bridge leading up to hancocks and had a slash in the ditch.
So all in all really civilised trip to the park.
Comments
society of stoke on trent!!
Having witnessed the glass, teenagers, and dog poo with my kids a few weeks ago, I have not ventured back, my kids are 10 and 8 and really i should be able to let them go to the open space and play together on the activities, but due to the state of them and the scruffy, dirty, foul mouthed, dissrespectful yobs that are always there i cannot, shame, this to me is the reflection of the society that we live in in 2009 in stoke on trent. saddened by it but there is nothing that can be done unless the park is locked up at nights at dusk, like the cemetry!! no way in, but then like you say even in the day it can be as bad. could always move to a better area, is there one nowdays though i ask, who do i blame, the parents/schools and lack of respect, disipline and values in life today. People are not as kind, respectful, caring as they used to be only 20 years ago!! It was a better place back then. The police, council and other authorities just don,t do enough or care nowdays. Is it just me or does anybody else feel this way?..
I to look to the future with dread
What happened to good old fashioned values.
"Don't smash a bottle, a little kid or a dog might cut themeselves."
"Don't swear there's little kids present"
Seems like the basics have gone by the wayside. Could it be that (some) parents let TV and video games play to greater part in their kids lives, warping their values.
Do (some) parents leave the important lessons to TV and Schools, were they not taught them as well, so don't know how to pass on good values.
Is it the state of the future that we always hear about that drives us to not caring as much. Apparently we are in for a major upheaval being penned in for 2030, as we can't cope with the needs of 8 billion people struggling for resources.
Like Ade, I would love to know what people think, and also what you all think we can do about it.
Do the next manifestos from all political parties need to deal with the long term and rather than just getting elected.
Does the nation need a kick up the bum, to get them polling and looking at dealing with these problems.
Over to you.
Anti social behaviour
Web monkey I sympathise with you, but until the police operate a "zero tolerance policy" this sort of thing will esculate.
We have a part time police station, with invisable police personel.
The blame for this lies at the door of the incumbant inspector.
He road into town like Wyat Earp, but has turned out to be like Deputy Dawg.
I've heard all the excuses from the former inspectors, "not enough men" "too much paperwork" "government targets.
This did not affect Robocop Ray Mallon, or Bernard Hogan Howe, so the question is why does it stop our police inspectors?
I believe they have been the instigators of their own downfall in the eyes of the public, with their PC madness.
Greenfield Residents Association have a meeting with Linda Tweets, and representitives from Tunstall police tonight, and judging by the number of complaints from the members of the committee, they are in for a rough ride.
I am not anti police but living on the Greenfields estate it is getting harder by the day to sympathise with the front line troops.
Lions led by donkeys.
Police
Hi Terry, you know you and the Residents Association are welcome to use Bankeyfields anytime to highlight your problems, issues, good news or anything, and to discuss them. The more people reach out to each other the sooner you can pull together to sort the problems effecting you all out.
Which I guess is what your doing tonight, could you post back with what was discussed?
Target Practice
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What would we do ??
Just out of curiosity I would like any body over the age of say 25 to answer me this question “you’re a teenager living in and around this estate what would you do and where would you go to occupy your spare time i.e., 6.30pm to 9.30pm weekdays and weekends.
Parents
It is all about parenting skills or the lack of them. Peolpe moan about the lack of action by the police, but lets be honest its not up to the police to teach kids good manners.
what would we do??
Well for a start, I wouldn't have dreamt of using the gutter language that kids nowadays use (well, not in front of adults, anyway). I certainly didn't litter or smash glass bottles where it is known that small children will play.
It's not just the teenagers either! My wife took our grandaughter to the toddler playground on Sunday but didn't dare to take her in as there were two adults sitting with two staffs bull terriers off their leads and running around this toddler area. Talk about lunatic and irrisposable behaviour! They may well have had their own children in there but if one of these dogs turned nasty, well, the results have been reported in the press for years now.
Thge real problem with the youth of today is that they have been bought up to be selfish. They have only had to ask and they get. They are told constantly that they have as much right to do what they want as anyone else. The only problem is that they believe their rights come before anyone elses. As for role models, well see my second paragraph, (the owners of these staffies obviously feel that their rights come before the rights of toddlers to use the park without fear).
Rights without accountability! Runs right through society, politicians, the press, sports personalities etc. Glamourisation of poor behaviour is rife on tv, look at programmes such as Shameless, Big Brother et al. Decent behaviour is sneered at and bad behaviour is rewarded.
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