Mosside killing. why is a boy aged 15 cycling the streets at 02:30 am

[Dom Tuk]

I refer to the dastardly killing of a boy in manchester last week. But why was he out and about on his cycle at 02:30 AM. Church going or not, gang member or not, when a boy that age is let out at that time would you have any sympathy/care/concern for the parent (s)?

[Dom Tuk]

mmfifi...the anguish of the parents will be unbearable. I hope i never have to feel it. I have known many parents who have lost their children and they loose something in their eyes.

[Carakeel]

Believe me, whatever failings the parents may have had, they have been punished enough. Their failings cannot be compared to those of the murdering scum that took this young boy's life and with it condemned his parents and extended family to a life filled with huge loss and sadness. Yes, the parents can be seen as irresponsible for letting him be out at that time of night, but do we actually know if he had permission to be out? Does every parent check their teenager's' bed at 2:30 in the morning to see if they are tucked in and asleep? Most parents would be asleep themselves at that time of the morning. Also, no parent is infallible.They will mourn this young lad for the rest of their lives. So, yes sympathy is due.

[scuzzball]

I used to stay out all night when I was 15 (and this is 37 years ago) - so what???

[Pippa68]

Carakeel ~ you put that so well. In fact so has everyone who agrees that sympathy is due.

Nobody deserves to go through this pain. Their child has been gunned down..the time of day or night has nothing to do with it.

[Miss Inquiry]

Adding fuel to the fire, the papers are suggesting there might be a link with his brother who is currently in jail, so it could well be a targeted attack because of his family connections .....

Good parenting skills...?

[sp1814]

There's an ugly current of "well, they deserved it", in much of the reporting of this story.

Not pleasant to read.

[libertie]

Wholeheartedly agree with you sp!

A dreadful waste of a young life, but before everyone writes of the whole of the Moss Side area there are many good people who live there and are trying their very best to make it a safer place for their kids to grow up! IMHO smug and patronising comments are never very helpful!

[matt66]

The question was about the parents. lets look at it this way.
1. 15 year old son on the streets at 02;30 am
2. One other son in prison.

Good parenting....bet you not.

Its degrees of sympathy. If I had only one litre of tears to shed and i had to choose between parents who lost their son due to a school bus accident while on a school trip or this moss side shooting then i will shed the entire one litre of tears for the schoolboy on the trip and not a drop for the parents of the moss side shooting. Simple as that!!!

Its not an ugly undercurrent...its good parents reinforcing their beliefs and good habits.

[Goodsoulette]

Because parents make bad choices doesnt mean they dont love their children.
I used to escpae all the time as a teenager, return safely and my parents never knew differently.

[sp1814]

Furthermore, I know of a family where one brother is in jail and the other leads a perfectly normal life and has never even been close to getting 'into trouble'.

Some kids just choose the wrong path.

Not saying anything about this particular child...just saying that sometimes, parents do their best and STILL their kids go astray.

Let me just reiterate, my point is about parenting skills in general, and not about this case in particular. None of us know anything about the circumstances this child grew up in, therefore, I think it's a little bit too 'previous' for us to cast doubt on the mother and father.

By the way, the family I referred to in my first sentence is my own.

[Pippa68]

Very well said, Goodsoulette & sp...x