While I am always proud of children who stand up for what they believe in, I can not believe a lot of kids participating in the protest on guns even know what the Second Amendment stands for.

I believe many of the participants are just following their peers and making a serious issue a reason to get out of school.

While my heart is broken over all the school shootings going on, I believe is the parents who need to say, “Enough is enough,” and start paying attention to raising their kids right.

I further believe the time these children spent marching would be better spent in a classroom, where they can learn about the Second Amendment and why it was put into place.

The Second Amendment had a well-planned reason, as did all the amendments given to us by our forefathers. This amendment was adopted Dec. 15, 1791. It provides to individuals so one should be able to keep and bear arms in defense, self-defense and resistance to oppression. It states these rights shall not be infringed.

Are we going to allow children, who are not even old enough to vote, change our Second Amendment? There are people my age who find a whole lot wrong with this.

If these same children would take a stand against bullying and students being oppressed in the school systems, our world would also be different.

If parents would do a better job and know what is going on in their childrens’ lives, there would be fewer shootings, I believe.

Some parents do not know what children are even doing in today’s world. They do not take an active role in checking out what is going on in their lives. They give them their own phones and many never check to see what they are doing with them.

Children should have their rooms checked to make sure nothing is going on that their parents do not approve of. For example, the teens who have guns in their possession had to get them from somewhere. They had to hide them somewhere in the houses they lived in.

In my opinion, children are allowed too much freedom today. Many do not have a strict bedtime and are allowed to stay up half the night. The rules are not enforced when they are given.

I think back to the time I disobeyed my parents and was told it would be a year before I could go anywhere again. Guess what? It was a year before I could go home with a friend again. All I did wrong was catch a ride in a little golf cart with Virgil Everman. All the kids liked to ride in his golf cart.

I had never ridden in it. When he asked me and my friend if we wanted to ride, I said yes.

My dad had told me I was not allowed to get on the road at all and I said I wouldn’t. I disobeyed, and I was the one who had to pay the consequences.

If your child is living in your home and you are paying the bills, I think you have the right to know what is going on with their lives until they turn 18. Then, they need to be helping out with the bills or move out.

All parents seem to care about today is whether their child is fitting in. There are some ways I would not want my kid fitting in in today’s society.

Many children have no respect for anyone. Listening to their conversations with other kids proves they have not had any type of upbringing. They do not have respect for themselves let alone anyone else.

It is very sad today’s youth feel they need to wear name brand clothes to feel like they fit in. What is sadder is the kids at school are missing out on becoming friends with some of the nicest kids ever whose parents do not have the money to buy those clothes. It is obvious the clothes are not what makes the child, but what comes from the heart, mouth and brain of that child.

Children need to be made to realize that it is the person inside the clothing that makes the difference not the clothes themselves.

From what I have observed, even from some of my own grandchildren, they have no time to be a child or to even spend quality time with their parents. They are whisked off to so many other events there is barely enough time to even study. Yet, they are expected to make top grades.

I heard one of my daughters telling what she had planned for my granddaughter’s summer. I was not impressed. She would be involved in something all summer. They were good events, but I wondered when would she be doing nothing at all to find her own creativity?

Even though I am proud to say I think all our children have been good parents, there are times they have fallen into being too lenient with their kids. I realize we live in a different society than when I grew up. We still have wonderful kids in our world who, I am sure will one day be leaders in our communities.

Yes, I believe my grandchildren will be some of them. Now, doesn’t that sound like a grandparent talking?!

However, I see from our society as a whole, kids badmouthing their parents, being told over and over again to do something. I find it hard not to think back to what would have happened to me or my siblings if my parents had told us more than one time to do anything. We never ever said, “Give me five minutes.” What ever we were doing, it didn’t matter how important it was to us, we had to drop everything and go do what ever they told us to do.

They taught us from day one we were to mind and do what they said. They were in control at our house, and I never remember disrespecting them in any way even as an adult.

When kids aren’t respecting their parents, they are most likely not respecting many other people, either.

No, we were definitely not perfect but when my parents spoke to us, we answered with a “yes, ma’am” or a “no, ma’am” or “yes, sir,” or “no, sir.” The same went for others we spoke to.

Our parents kept our respect throughout their lives. There were times we did not agree with them, but they never heard it from us.

In other words, I do not feel like we would see children marching if parents did their jobs as parents. They need discipline and love. Without it, there is no telling what our future will hold for our youth.

We do not need teachers with guns. We need kids being taught how to act.

We also need teachers and school systems not putting up with bad behavior. We need teachers who are respected and held to a high standard also.

Let us keep the Second Amendment. Our forefathers worked long and hard to establish what they thought was best for all of us.

None of the laws were made lightly or without thought.

Are we going to allow children to change our laws?

Sue Staton is a Clark County native who grew up in the Kiddville area. She is a wife, mother and grandmother who is active in her church, First United Methodist Church, and her homemakers group, Towne and Country Homemakers.