You want to know why kids act out like they do? Go to an elementary school when class lets out sometime and watch the parents! Actually, that is its own hell so I wouldn't recommend it, but it certainly is enlightening.
Dez - I see you are a newbie. As many here know, I live right next door to an elementary school. I cannot begin to tell you the problems I have with parents. They park blocking my driveway and refuse to move, they have parked on my parkway at an angle with all 4 wheels on the grass, they have walked through my gardens, they have had picnics on my lawn, before we had the fence up for the dog I used to find toddlers toddling around between my house and the fence, they stand and watch as their children rip branches off my trees, they stand and talk to their friends on my lawn, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
We have a drop-off zone to "alleviate" this problem. No one knows how to use it. They don't drive through, they let their kids out at the front and then zip back into traffic, practically causing accidents.
Because of this the village put up a NO Parking sign in front of my house. There is one lady who parks there religiously every day. I am thisclose to going out and just asking her just out of curiosity why she parks there (and of course, the police don't enforce the no parking.)
All along the block we have had to put railroad ties and paving stones along our parkways if we want to keep grass there. The neighbors who don't have anything out have giant mud holes for parkways.
And we live in a rich, upscale suburb!
And apparently, (now I've only heard this through the neighborhood grapevine) there is a group of parents who hate me and call me the crazy lady and do things on purpose to aggravate me. They say they are going to call the police with false reports of things like I put spikes in my parkway and ruined all their tires, etc.
Last year the fence was down because the school was putting up a new fence, and parents would just stand 3 feet from me and watch me garden. I said, "can I help you?" and they said no and kept staring. I finally got rid of them by staring right back.
And when they pick their kids up from kindergarten, they sit with them in the playground and let them tease my dogs. A few weeks ago my dog got kicked in the face by kids kicking the fence.
Well, now I have a job at Village Hall working for the cable station, so maybe now that I work for the village the police may actually patrol and give people tickets.
Friday is the last day of school. I am thinking of treating myself to pizza. Unfortunately, I won't be home to see the show (last year was the year that they all parked on my parkway and there were a dozen kids and their parents eating a picnic lunch on my front lawn.)
Sorry for the ramble, but this is a very sore subject for me, and a BIG reason why I don't want kids. Why on earth would I want to associate with jerks like this all the time?