Lizzie,
That,of course, is a very tough question for a parent (or you wouldn't have asked). The ideal me wants to say absolutely, my children should be prosecuted for stealing, regardless of the circumstances. Of course, in the actual situation, I would probably be fighting very hard for their record, their grades, their reputations, their youth, to be considered once IN court. But should they be prosecuted the same? Yes. The punishment is where I would expect the differences to be considered--- which is not unusual in that phase of a trial.
I believe that when one chooses to commit acts that might be punishable under the law, regardless of how one feels about the fairness of the law- one must be prepared to face the consequences of that law. CW choose to do something he knew was teetering on the boundaries of acceptability last year (the week of graduation no less). We had warned him and were not sympathetic when he got into trouble. Did we support him all the way through it. You bet. But teaching our children to face consequences for actions that are illegal, unethical, immoral, stupid, passively imitative, or committed because of a true belief...is something we thought important. Without the consequences there is no accountability for their own actions, and then you have acts without thought, without fear, without care.
The burning of my draft card would not be relevant to my expectations for my children. |
