truth1... exactly! And while the media has no problem pointing out the lack of parental control, the "other side of the mouth" makes an issue out of "homeless kids" who REFUSE to cowtow to the family dynamic. What are we to DO with this?
These brats don't want to abide by the core structure of the family, so they "run away..."
They'll get a couch somewhere to squat on for awhile until THAT family doesn't want to deal with their sh** either. Then what? WE have to support them, simply because they "decided" they didn't like the rules? Asinine!
Life is tough... when it is NOT "Leave it to Beaver", well so sorry for ya. Buck up and deal with it.
Now I have no issue with kids who really have crappy - neglectful parents. Some people should NOT procreate. Let's just be careful...

Yes, that is DEFINITELY the other side of the coin...The little thug or thugette that doesn't want to abide by rules, so now all-of-a-sudden, they're "homeless".
I hope the operatives of this program know enough not to enable that, which will just make everything WORSE instead of better.

truthteller, I hear what you're saying... While my 2 children were no angels... they managed to skate a lot of what many other kids pull. I don't know why and I don't know how... but many of their friends had BIG issues getting from 16 to 20 unscathed. That said, I had a "non-revolving door" policy with my kids. You move out... you are OUT!
Oldest daughter, now almost 30 yrs old, grew up quickly. Struggled for many years and I was there to help keep her stable, but that did NOT include moving back home. Youngest was actually sleeping in her car for awhile until LIFE slapped her hard, and she picked herself up and became self-sufficient. Many years went by, youngest had her own apartment and a great job. She DID move back home briefly, because she went back to school to get a massage therapists license. She is paying off her student loans and is financially stable. She was here maybe 6 months, but was so much more respectful, and a joy to have around.
All I can say is, if you love your kids, let them fall on their faces once in awhile... they grow up quickly.

We have one of these so called homeless teens. What the deal is is that they don't want to follow parental rules so they don't come home often. There is nothing that can be done once they are 17. Ours tells everyone she is homeless because she chooses not to be at home where we have rules like- not smoking pot or cigarettes, not to bring drug dealers home, to be in by curfew, not to steal from us, and to go to school and not to throw temper tantrums in front of the littler kids because we won't give her money for pot. You can say bad parenting all you want but this kid has everything she needs at home. There are many more kid just like this from good families. They want to be adults so bad well let them do it on their own.

Dvlwmn13, Many of the kids do make the choice on their own, but not necessarily because they do not wish to abide by rules set by parents. I know of a woman who did not go out on her own until she was eighteen years old because she did not wish to hurt her parents, even though whe was abused repeatedly by her father. She did run away once when she was fourteen, only to be abused by another person and was brought back home. Many kids chose living on the streets to be free. Not very many enjoy what little they have other than freedom. There is a high price to pay for freedom.

Gagzette, You might be surprised if you asked many of the homeless kids how much they value their own lives. Many are living very self destructive lifestyles any many put very little value on anyone's life. Many know of no other life than what they have, much the same as you have very little understanding of what life is like to have little or nothing. Some have never even had a glance at what a "normal" life is like.

Go ask all these kids if they would rather of been aborted instead of being born. I bet you they all say they still wana be alive even tho they don't have the best life.... Huh where are all the abortion supporters?

How many of these kids will go on to lead productive lives ? How many could be saved ? Yes,some of those parents need to step up to the plate.

I don't want it to seem like I am defending these parents because I am not...but think of how many of these kids left on their own because they did not want to adhere to rules set by their parents. I agree that in 90% of the cases, parents and circumstance are to blame but a select few of these teens make this choice on their own.

NoLeftist--your comment is ignorant! Not all couples who have kids while not married are going to allow their kids to be homeless!

The gztt should have put that project1649 reference in the article..I watched that video on there and thought.... where will these kids go, foster homes?...thats no good either.
.
Ultimately my thoughts are there should be HUGE penalties for worthless creepy custodial parents that neglect their children, THATS what I'm getting at, but mostly they're just enabled....No penalties...Thats SICK.....THAT needs to be addressed with equal veracity.

And the same groups of enablers will keep enabling with the support of other enablers until the light bulb finally comes on for some of them and they stop their enabling.
Hasn't the lesson been learned by now that enabling bad behavior gets more bad behavior? In this case, shirking parental duties.

No doubt their parents have opted out of stale social mores like being married before you have children.

Given that such sadness, poverty, and violence comes out of unmarried childbearing, you'd think our liberal freinds who say they are so concerned about the poor would be making a big deal about this.

Alas, they are much too busy trying to legalize marijuana and outlaw kids meals.

mgcarguy- I was thinking along those lines.
Like I said, much to "read between the lines" on this one......MUCH.
But, as we all know, some "parents" couldn't possibly be doing wrong, oh no, they just want someone else to pick up their responsibility while they do as they please.
Read between the lines here, people.

Well, now I know. I listened to the podcast and found the website. I learned that the plan is to build or buy a building between Janesville and Beloit to house 150 kids who have no adult supervison. Why don't we round up parents of these 150 kids and find a nice place to house them, let's say, Rock County Jail for a starter home.

Sigma - FYI, forums are not strictly an Internet thing......

Forums? So these kids have no homes yet they are supposed to get online somehow and check out a forum?

I almost missed it, but there is a podcast player on the left side of the page, below the banner ads. The podcast is several minutes and contains a lot more information that the text article.

So few words for such a serious problem.... sad, very sad.

One paragraph in this story says 150 teens are unaccompanied. Next paragraph says what unaccompanied means. Knowing as I do, how expensive words are to place on the printed page, you folks at The Gazette will now be able to write a nice 14-inch front page story on somebody who carves toothpicks from pine trees and sells them at the farmers marker.

I think theres much to be read between the lines on this one.