Teenage Terrorists and Absentee Parents

Once is too much… and twice is the beginning of a trend.

Back in February, over President’s Day Weekend, a flash mob of more than 200 teens rampaged through a mall in the Bronx, frightening shoppers for no other reason than they had nothing better to do. As one teen participant – who apparently skipped more than one grammar class – put it, “We was bored.”

Then, just last week, more than 1,000 teens responded to a social influencer’s call for a “meet-up” by literally taking over the Icon amusement park in Orlando, terrorizing the rest of the customers that included senior citizens and families with young children, all of whom fled for safety. Nine teenagers, ages 13 to 16, were arrested and two police officers were hospitalized with injuries.

Thanks for nothing, TikTok!

There are several cause-and-effect lessons to be learned from these twin episodes of uncontrolled teenage mayhem. Here they are, in no specific order, and please forgive me for “painting with a broad brush”…

1. Teens today need discipline and a strong moral foundation… and in many cases, they aren’t getting either. For the most part, public schools – which kicked God to the curb 60 years ago – have stopped disciplining their students for fear of parental reprisals and costly lawsuits. Meanwhile, far too many churches choose to entertain kids rather than instruct them in sound and unwavering biblical truths. Apparently, teaching about chastity, personal responsibility, and respect for authority doesn’t fill your youth group to overflowing… and unfortunately, size is becoming the barometer by which we measure the success of a youth program instead of the level of spiritual growth and maturity of its participants.

2. Teens today crave a sense of purpose… and to a large degree, they are coming up empty because the people and institutions that are supposed to be guiding them through that process are failing them. And so, they are turning to their equally confused peers as well as Hollywood, social media influencers, and other unhealthy trendsetters. Worse yet, their parents are often oblivious to what’s going on in their kids’ lives – and who and what is shaping their personality, character, and worldview.

3. Speaking of parents, they often fall into one of the following categories: they are either too involved in their own lives, careers, and personal drama to pay attention to their kids OR they turn their children into false idols by becoming helicopter moms and dads, hovering over them 24/7. I really don’t know which one is worse: ignoring your kids or making them believe that they are the epicenter of the universe and everyone else should cater to their every whim and fancy. Then, of course, there are the parents who are literally afraid of their kids – not physically, but emotionally – believing that if they discipline Johnny and Sally, that their BFFs won’t like them anymore.

Get a grip, parents! Johnny and Sally have lots of friends but only one set of parents, so be their parents. Trust me, there will come a time later in life when they might become your buddies but for now, act like a grownup… provide guidelines and guardrails… and lower the boom when necessary. In other words, be engaged and not afraid.

Give them a place to come home to – a shelter from the storms of life – and demand that they report back to “headquarters” on a regular basis. Yes, that means curfews… and a loss of privileges for when they break them.

Finally, know who their friends are and don’t hesitate to express your disapproval of the ones who you think are a negative influence as long as your reasons are legitimate. Learn to pick your fights and remember that not every hill is worth dying on.

Now that it’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Hopefully at youth group and not rampaging through a local mall or terrorizing an amusement park.

Editor’s Note: Recent studies show some encouraging signs of a spiritual revival taking place in America, evidenced by an increase in church attendance. And guess who is “leading the charge”? Young people, particularly young men.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them…” Isaiah 11:6 (NKJV)

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17 (BSB)