Dear all,

It's a shame there is no one to blame for all the pain that life brings, if you will just take me it might just complete me and together we can make a stand....

Some current news has been playing on my mind for the last couple of days, its a tragedy that could have been foreseen but was definitely not expected. The two news articles are ones close to home involving young girls.

The tragedy in Collie - this news story reads - a young girl who was living away from home was tragically murdered by her two best friends in the house which she was residing. The age of the girls was 15-16. The girls had been parting together the evening before this incident and whilst one was sleeping the other two had decided to kill her. Gagging her with a cloth drenched in various chemicals the proceeded to strangle her with an electrical cable. When the girl had not gone to school and was thought to be missing the parents had searched and the two murderers themselves got involved in the search mission. The question I ask now is what was going on in these girls minds? What possesses them to do such things? And how safe are our children? Now this girl who was murdered was a bright girl, she had ambition and had left home and decided that school was the right way to go. For some reason something has gone seriously wrong. I blame society. We talk about a more tolerant and liberal country, that we should allow youth more freedom especially in regards to expression and that parents need to take a step back so that children can grow up and learn for themselves. We talk about children rights and the ability of children to make decisions for themselves. Yet for all the good this has done, I think to some extent it has also led to a demise of society. I have argued previously that there has been a demise of youth and I again argue this point. There needs to be a point where parents become more protective and are more disciplined with their children. There needs to be values instilled into our children and we need to be firm. Parents must understand their role as a provider not only of the basics to survive but to teach your child right from wrong and to instil values and morals.

This brings me to the second news article, perhaps the more disturbing one. Two days ago headlines around Australia told of a little 8 year old girl and the horrible tragedy that befell her. Little Sophia was fetched home from school along with her 11 year old sister and 14 year old brother, by her uncle. On the way home they made a stop at a near by shopping centre whilst there Sophia asked to go to the bathroom. It was nothing out of the ordinary. When she hadn't returned ten minuets later, her brother and father looked around frantically worried that something was wrong. Her brother entered the disabled toilets to confront a man who was running away by this stage, the uncle gave chase, and the brother found his sister dead on the floor. Young Sophia had been raped – indecently assaulted and sexually penetrated and then was strangled to death. The man accused was a 21 year old trolley boy who worked at these shops.

Perhaps the most frightening thing is that there was nothing anyone could do, for young Sophia it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time that led to her death. 8 is an age where adults do not think that they have to accompany their children to the bathroom that they are old enough to go, but in the same instance they are so young and vulnerable. Parents are worried that they wrap their child in cotton wool, but the truth is that children need our protection. They need to be guided, the question then of course is when and how do we know to let go? And that is even less able to be determined, how does one decide to let their child move on, grow, explore, how do you let your child wander away from the comforts of home, how do you teach your child and let your child grow up. The world is not a safe place and much of the country is now pondering the question, have I done the right things by my children, are they safe, this could have happened to my child, am I able to let them grow up? I don't have the answer nor do I pretend to. I guess from my perspective, this was a once off and indeed very tragic yet we cannot allow this to stop us. We cannot allow this to make us so cautious that it does not allow us to grow up. We need to make sure that our children are well equipped with the knowledge to achieve, to be safe, and to be successful in life. We need to make sure that they know to lookout for themselves, teach them self defence, make sure when they are going somewhere, especially young girls that they do so in pairs, make sure that they know when things aren't right and teach them how to get out of that situation.

So from all this whilst highlighting two terrible tragedies I always want to pay homage to parents and the important roles that they have on their children's lives. Parents need to make sure they are taking an active role in the lives of their children, to make sure they are brought up with the right morals and ideas from a young age. Society is treading a path of young people and children with little respect for anyone or anything and it's frightening. It's not only others but themselves and their own bodied and parents are the ones who should from a young age instil certain values into their children and then more importantly set the proper example.

RIP girls, may justice be served and may your souls rest in peace,

In the arms of the angles fly away from here, we know you are shining down on us from heaven.

Sorry this is so long and very random... needed to get it out of my system and I'm not sure how coherent it is.

That's it from me,

Yours

Puffaloonie