Allister Tosh: Helping the next generation be better parents

Allister Tosh

There is a very complex issue facing us and that is our out of control youth problems.

We now face a new generation of baby boomers with a new out-of-touch Government as was the last, e.g. Candidates having to hold meetings to learn about the methamphetamine trade.

Adolescents are growing up with so much new pressure that when they are coming of age they all ready feel burned out, especially psychologically.

They see their peers involved in corruption and skulduggery, community leaders and business owners wearing a concerning poker face.

And that's life - there will always be corruption, it's just sad that we as human beings cannot be content with their lot as the aftermath of corruption has such devastating consequences to our children's health care and education and our economy in general. Put yourselves in my shoes,

My name is Allister, I'm 13-years-old, not really I'm 48, so bear with me for a minute and use your imagination.

I'm 13, I come from a single parent family. Mum's on a benefit.

She is a great mum who struggles financially, but always let's me know how lucky we are to live in a first world country.

I didn't do well at school, already have a fetish for drugs and alcohol and cigarettes, and don't care to much for authority.

Nothing to do in Hastings except hang with the wrong crowd, get drunk and get arrested.

I walk home from the police cells the next day, and visit mates with wealthy parents, who through no fault of theirs are busy with their careers.

I go visit mates in lower socio economic areas, seeing their parents kicking back on benefits, selling drugs, making babies, sleeping all day, driving the car I always dreamed of when I was a boy.

To a 13-year-old-boy it looks like they're living the life of Riley, which compared with living in Chad I suppose they are.

Me, 48-year-old Allister, back again.

We have again another lost generation for which our Government has no answers.

A work for the dole scheme which has been tried many times and does not work. In my day everyone went on to sickness benefits, which then leads to mental health issues.

Employers cannot afford to employ liabilities, also health and safety comes into play. This law we have where a mother has to find employment when her youngest reaches 3 needs to be quashed asap.

As it now stands the mother has two choices: either find suitable employment, demean herself to mental health or get pregnant again - the latter being what most woman are doing, a lot of the time.

Then through unforeseen circumstances, things like post-natal depression mean they can't look after their older children.

The new family package won't halve child poverty. In fact, on the contrary, it could make it worse.

Limited extra money does not solve all your problems, education does.

The money you receive in New Zealand to bring up children is enough if you are a sensible parent.

But again our past and present governments are so quick to come up with a cure for a short term result but with no prevention strategy.

So just keep on throwing taxpayers' money into the pool hoping the problem fades away.

In reality is all we can do is try to help the next generation to be better parents for which I believe I have some of the answers.

Allister Tosh is the leader of the Future Youth Party and lives in Hastings. Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz