Three generations in many estates, of worklessness and hopelessness. It's easy to say you should sort yourself out and there's work if you want it, but to generate that sort of motivation from such a background takes someone really unusual.
The idea that people deliberately have kids to get a house is interesting as it suggests there's actually some thought and control about having kids. I wish that were so
Add in poor diet, bad parenting and the resulting attachment disorders, foetal alcohol syndrome, low intelligence, agressive neighbours.......what chance do they stand, either the children or the generation before them.
I'd like to see a sort of community work for benefit, ie there's a basic level of benefit and you get an increased level if you do a community job for it, ie all the painting houses, mending roads, fixing things in old people's houses etc. that need doing but don't get done.
Maybe then people would feed needed, as though their lives had some point. They'd learn skills, they'd connect with people round them in a positive way. Maybe.
And then you've got to thank your lucky stars that you were born to a family that had some get up and go, some intelligence. Mine were in coal board housing (so council housing by any other name) and grandad went down the pit at 14. But he was bright, so was Dad, who got to the grammar school, was encouraged to work hard and so we got out. But that was in a community that had full employment, if very hard employment, people's lives had purpose, structure and the community spirit was strong and constructive. Not the case in the coal mining towns and villages anymore.
So there but for the grace of God.....
A little boy wearing a hoodie, burberry cap, nike joggers and sporting a shaved hair cut will quite possibly be trying to conform to avoid a beating but behind closed doors might be trying to teach himself to read, to understand maths, his heart might break each morning as he has to face school bullies who make his life hell because he is 'different'..Thankfully our local middle school is doing this, sadly the first school did not - that could have been the difference between a young lad making a life for himself and serving life
Just this Plums
We've got to keep keeping on, giving as much hope and practical help as possible. Because what are the alternatives? And can we really abandon those kids?
Give Milli a hug from me
She is a little star, that there are people like her (and you, who gave her her values) gives me hope
Topic: THE ESTATE (Read 8581 times)
