Changes in family have harmed society

Knowing that comments or thoughts for publication should not exceed 300 words I will make my thoughts or concerns as brief as possible.

All the negative and criminal things that we read about in our newspaper or hear on TV and radio daily are scary. When I grew up, people doing bad things was not as common. World War II was going on and the parents did not have the money for extra amenities.

Mothers were raising their children. Fathers worked six days a week. Good manners were of utmost importance. Calling your neighbors or aunt or uncle by a first name was not allowed. Teachers informed the parents of problems with a student, and the student was to improve.

I had to work to help my father and mother. I got free time to play with friends daily, but my mother always knew where I was.

Things changed in later generations, but not for the better. Credit cards came out in the 1950s, and people started to spend more than their incomes were. Greediness took over, forcing the mother to go to work as well.

Baby sitters were the answer. The results are a failed upbringing of a children because parents were not there when needed. They meant well for themselves, but the kids got shortchanged.

The love for many children is not there today, and in the end I could only say their parents wanted the best for them but went the wrong way about it.

The school murder of 20 young children and six adults in Connecticut is a national tragedy. And the 20-year-old shooter came from divorced parents. That is something to think about.

William T. Schmocker

Des Plaines