The Party is In The House...The Body is in the Yard

Kids love to party. I did when I was a kid and I'm willing to bet that you did too when you were a kid. There was nothing better than getting together with your friends, music whaling and a whole bunch of people who should have never danced in public. As we got older, college (and inebriants) entered the mix, and the parties got a little bit louder, a little bit rowdier and a whole lot longer. We would have a bit of a disagreement from time to time, but oddly enough, I can't remember a single party where anyone got killed. That is where the parties that I recall and the parties of today take different paths.<br /> <br /> Over the last week or so, we have heard one story after another where something has gone very bad, very quickly at a series of "house parties." For those of you who are not familiar with the :house party" concept, it is simply a party that takes place at a particular house rather than at a bar or club. As kids do, the word gets out and the crowds swell well beyond what the "house" can accommodate for the "party." Add the needed elixirs, even though the reason that the party is at a "house" rather than a bar is because most of the attendees are underage, and the trouble begins. Unlike our lame parties, where trouble also occurred from time to time, these altercations and disagreement turn deadly. This leads me to a series of questions.<br /> <br /> Things like, "what parent would ever sign off on such a party in their home?," "where are the parents during the party?," "how is it that alcohol is allowed in the home where mostly minors are attending?," why are children (yes...they are still children) bringing guns to a party?, "where are kids getting these guns?," and "what has happened to our young people whereby they think that the way you settle a dispute is to shoot someone?" These and so many more questions come to mind every time I read about another killing that took place at a "house party."<br /> <br /> I just don't understand how it happens. I have neighbors who will call the police if you blow leaves onto the street. I can only imagine their reaction if 150 kids or so showed up in the neighborhood for a party. They wouldn't get through the first song before the only "rap" they would hear would be the cops rapping on the door. Are the neighbors delirious to what is happening or do they just not care? And, what parents would let their kids go to a "party" on a Sunday night which is when most of these parties seem to occur? And, what parent would let their kid go to a "house party" on any night after having read that one kid after another has been killed at similar parties? I heard one mother on the news stating that her son, who was killed, was the second son of hers that had been killed at such events. How is that possible?<br /> <br /> I know that I am well beyond understanding what makes kids do the things that they do. It is a much different time now than when I was a kid. But, I do have a good understanding, having a teen of my own, what it means to be a responsible parent. It is never any fun to tell your kid that they can't do something that apparently every other parent on the face of the earth is allowing their child to do. "But, Dad everybody else is getting to do it." Sound familiar? I'm pretty sure that every parent out there is not working against me, but I am just as sure that there are some parents that are taking dangerous chances with their kids, just to get along, that may have deadly results.<br /> <br /> How many more senseless deaths at parties such as these do we have to have? And we would be misinformed and downright silly to try and blame it all on the kids who are involved. The last time I checked, we own the houses, we are in charge of the kids, and we decide what will and will not happen in our houses and who will and will not be allowed in those houses. It's really that simple. It may not be popular and you may not get the "coolest parent of the year" award, but it is simple. For those who are not yet convinced, I'm sure that you will find a nice place on the mantle to put your award. It should fit nicely right there beside the picture of the child who went too "one house party to many."<br /> <br /> Come on parents, step up to the plate. Turn out the lights, the party is over!!! But, your kids are still alive.<br /> <br /> Stan L. Hall<br /> <br /> If you would like to have Stan speak at your next group event, please send your requests to [email protected]<br /> <br /> The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and are not those of the Gwinnett District Attorney's Office.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/11/233817