Responsibility

Whose responsibility is it?

Recently my daughters cell phone was stolen out of her locker. Now, it was my daughters fault because she didn't latch her locker fully and so it was easily opened and the phone taken, however; the schools first response was, "It's not our responsibility." So it got me thinking to all the times I have heard that phrase. Last year, the kids and I flew home for a vacation, my daughters suite case was damaged, as soon as I said it's broken the first words out of the airline employees mouth was "It's not our responsibility." At the car wash, you know the automatic one on a track that you ride through, the brushes scratched up the side of my car, the first words out of the attendants mouth were "It's not our responsibility." No matter where you go, no matter what you do, there are signs, disclaimers, waivers, that state "It's not our responsibility." Now I know most often it is to stop a potential lawsuit because of someones reckless behavior, however; when is it actually someones responsibility?

As a criminal justice major I have done paper after paper on laws and cases trying to find just exactly whose responsibility is it. We have become a society of it's not my fault. Your child sets fire to the neighbors shed, it's not the child's fault, it's the neighbors for not having his gas locked up. A man abuses his wife, it's not his fault, it's his fathers fault for abusing him as a child. A soldier here in town was shot to death in the street trying to stop a man from wielding a gun in public, it was the gunmans fault for shooting the soilder, however the community blammed the soldier for getting involved. When do we start taking responsibility for our own actions? When do we stand up and say "Oops, my bad, I made a mistake, it was my fault." No matter what your past or present situation, your choices and your actions are your own no matter what your influences.

I have been trying to teach my children responsibility and to be responsible for their actions, however; all they see day in and day out is a world begging the government to bail them out for mistakes they have made. The schools telling them no matter what happens to them on their grounds, they will not protect nor help them, other parents do not control nor discipline their children for their actions no matter how grave those actions are. When are we going to stop this insanity and start taking responsibility for the situations we put ourselves into? When is it going to be someones responsibility?