from Discussion Thread: Issues Juveniles Face
May 16, 2024 8:02PM
Rachael Frazier
I consider parental separation and divorce the most severe among the
problems that teenagers face today. Marriage consistently affects
children's welfare, which also seems to play a significant part in promoting
their happiness, security, and health (Mwangangi, 2019). Parental divorce
has been cited as a consistent predictor of juvenile delinquency and a
major parent-related risk factor for criminal development in childhood and
adolescence, leading to increased criminal convictions and antisocial
behavior (Mwangangi, 2019). Disciplinary and behavioral issues have been
studied from many theoretical perspectives, including the emotional
distress that derives from parental divorce. It appears that children from
one-parent families are more likely to be unemployed, drop out of school,
have lower psychological well-being, and engage in sexual violence than
children from two-parent families (Mwangangi, 2019). Such disruptions
have been found to increase poverty and depression and cause ineffective
parenting strategies that lead to high rates of criminal behavior
(Mwangangi, 2019). Family is a child's primary source of affection,
company, and security. One factor that influences whether a youngster
develops into a delinquent is the type of relationship that exists between
parents and their children. Homes that are kind, empathetic, and
encouraging are more likely to encourage conformist and positive social
conduct because a happy household fosters the development of a child's
individuality (Mwangangi, 2019). On the other hand, children who
experience parental indifference, anger, rejection, or a lack of care and
support, become emotionally unstable and have poor personality
development, which encourages antisocial or criminal conduct
(Mwangangi, 2019). “Uninvolved parenting” describes situations where
parents are emotionally distant from their children and show little warmth
and love towards them, provide little supervision, intentionally avoid them,
have few expectations or demands for their behavior, never attend school
events, and are too overwhelmed by their problems to deal with their
children (Mwangangi, 2019). Juvenile offenders are more likely to come
from families with uninvolved parenting than from those with parents who
are involved. Approximately two-thirds of offenders came from families in
which children whose parents are involved, while only one-third of
offenders came from families with parents who were involved (Mwangangi,
2019).
On certain days, you may experience the anguish that is a part of your
family's story. The family member experiencing addiction difficulties. The
broken bond between you and your parent. The cruel remarks spoken
amongst cousins throughout the holidays. It seems that our families'
positive and negative traits are inherited by subsequent generations rather
frequently. All families deal with the hurtful consequences of a flawed
world, but Scripture offers us both everlasting hope and everyday
consolation.
The Bible reveals God's perfect plan for families. He unites men and
women via marriage to establish whole new households. Genesis 2:23
says, The man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
He gives children as a gift. Psalms 127:3 says, "Children are a heritage
from the Lord, offspring a reward from him."
And through Jesus Christ, God makes a way for all of us to be part of his
eternal family. 1 John 3:1 says, "See what great love the Father has
lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what
we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know
him."
from Discussion Thread: Issues Juveniles Face
May 16, 2024 8:04PM
Rachael Frazier
Bible Gateway. (2011). BibleGateway.com. Bible Gateway; Bible Gateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Mwangangi, R. K. (2019). The Role of Family in Dealing with Juvenile
Delinquency. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7(3), 52–63.
https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.73004
from Discussion Thread: Issues Juveniles Face
May 18, 2024 11:32PM
Rachael Frazier
Hello Courtney! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this week's
discussion. Parental separation is devastating for kids, but I think that
trying to stay together just for kids is not the way to go either. Kids can
feel all the tension whenever their parents are not getting along. So trying
to fake that everything is okay and lying to your children is not right either.
When parents divorce, the chaos frequently draws them away from their
standard parenting duties, which leaves the kids with less discipline along
with less parental supervision (Joekesi, 2024). The child's surroundings
become less controlled, which gives dangerous behaviors more
opportunity to proliferate. Children who experience this lack of structure
and supervision are more likely to dabble with illegal activities, which
tends to create an environment that is conducive to delinquency.
Therefore, there is more to the relationship between parental divorce and
juvenile delinquency than just the emotional upheaval brought on by the
separation; it also involves the changes in parenting style and the child's
surroundings that follow (Joekesi, 2024). The emotional earthquake
triggered by divorce can drastically reshape a child’s mental and emotional
terrain (Joekesi, 2024). As they navigate this new, uncharted territory, their
capacity to trust and form meaningful relationships can also suffer
significant setbacks (Joekesi, 2024).
Although raising a small kid entails a huge deal of responsibility, it goes
much beyond just giving them love, food, clothes, and shelter.
Ephesians 6:4 says, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but
bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (ESV)."
With regard to their relationship with their parents, children go through
different phases of life. Children eventually learn how to take care of
themselves and acquire certain abilities (Sanders III, 2022). Children at this
age are often highly impressionable and want to please adults. Though far
more malleable, they may be rebellious, obstinate, and challenging at
times. A child's character may be shaped most readily during this period,
and if godly parents don't do it gently for their child's good, someone else
will (Sanders III, 2022). It is the duty of parents to steer their child's
character development in a path that is consistent with scripture
Bible Gateway. (2011). BibleGateway.com. Bible Gateway; Bible Gateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Joekesi. (2024, February 10). The Divorce Factor: How Parental Separation
Contributes to Juvenile Delinquency. Medium. https://medium.com/texas-
family-law-insights/the-divorce-factor-how-parental-separation-contributes-
to-juvenile-delinquency
Sanders III, H. F. (2022, June 7). God’s Design for Parents and Children.
Answers in Genesis. https://answersingenesis.org/family/gods-design-for-
parents-and-children/
from Discussion Thread: Issues Juveniles Face
May 19, 2024 12:13AM
Rachael Frazier
Hello Bianca! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts about this weeks
discussion. I like how you mentioned that foster children and abuse go
hand in hand together, even though it is very sad to hear about the things
that these children have to go through when they are placed in these
homes. Where im from, their are so many kids in foster homes and it's so
upsetting to hear when the foster parents are not caring for these kids as
they are supposed to. I think there should be strict guidelines these foster
parents have to abide by when it comes to the money they get from the
government, like not allowed to cash the checks, the money should be
placed on debit cards and only allowed to spend at approved stores and
only spent on certain items. They remove these children from toxic homes,
yet they are placing them right back in toxic homes all over again. At some
time in their life, many youth encounter both the juvenile justice and child
welfare systems. Compared to kids active in a single system, these
adolescents often confront a higher number of risk variables, which are
also more complicated and associated with fewer protective factors.
Additionally, their rates of recidivism are greater than those of kids in
single-systems (Connections with Youth in the Child Welfare System |
Youth.gov, 2019). Child maltreatment, which includes physical and/or
sexual abuse as well as neglect, is a strong indicator of the commission of
poly-violence, or the infliction of several forms of violence on other people
(Connections with Youth in the Child Welfare System | Youth.gov, 2019).
Neglected or mistreated children are considerably more prone than their
peers to commit acts of violence against other people, including but not
limited to maltreatment of children, criminal activity, and violence against
intimate partners (Connections with Youth in the Child Welfare System |
Youth.gov, 2019). An elevated likelihood of adolescent delinquency and
general crime is also highly connected with persistent abuse and neglect
that continues into adulthood (Connections with Youth in the Child Welfare
System | Youth.gov, 2019).
Psalms 118:6 says, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man
do to me (ESV)?"
This passage conveys confidence in the face of resistance and declares
one's dependence on God's protection and sovereignty. It serves as a
reminder that we no longer need to give in to fear since the Lord is on our
side.
Bible Gateway. (2011). BibleGateway.com. Bible Gateway; Bible Gateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/Links to an external site.
Connections with Youth in the Child Welfare System | Youth.gov. (2019).
Youth.gov. https://youth.gov/youth-topics/juvenile-justice/connections-
youth-child-welfare-system
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