A Houston-area judge who has seen it all when it comes to the wayward youth is giving parents advice in a poignant video gaining traction on social media.
While recording from the Montgomery County Jail, Judge Wayne L. Mack began the video by disclosing he had been pouring through probable cause documents for the previous few days.
“You see a lot of things. You see a lot of brokenness, a lot of people that have made bad decisions.”
However, Mack said that he was noticing “one thing over and over and over.”
“We, as a society, have gotten away from teaching the greatest responsibility we can teach anybody,” he said.
Mack then began a how-to guide in reverse for parents that will “guarantee” that their child goes to jail in three points.
1. “Don’t hold your child accountable. Don’t know where they’re at, don’t know who they’re hanging out with. Don’t know where they’re going. Just let them go anywhere they want to (go) do anything they want to do.”
2. Don’t teach them the greatest ability of responsibility. They don’t have to be responsible for what they say. They don’t have to be responsible for what they do. They don’t have to go to school. They don’t have to do chores around your house. If they whine and complain enough, you just do it yourself so you don’t have to worry about it.”
3. “Let them lie to you. Every time they tell you a lie, and you know they’re telling you a lie, do the easiest thing, is just to ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen.”
Mack is active in the youth community in Montgomery County, often posting photos of his work with local educators.
While Mack acknowledges that not all family situations are the same, he said he is convinced that stricter parenting could help alleviate amount of criminal activity in the area.
“The majority of juvenile cases I deal with have to do with inattentive parenting,” Mack said.
The video, posted earlier this month, had been watched more than 88,000 times as of Wednesday morning — See it HERE.
Mack said he “did not anticipate” the response to the video, adding that several parents reached out to him to express gratitude for the video, WCVB reported. One dad even approached him at a car wash, telling him that it was a good reminder for him to actively engage with his children more.
“You are so ‘Right on Target’ Judge. Too many parents want to be their Child’s friend or buddy but ultimately when the child becomes an adult they are responsible for their on behavior whether they had good parents or sorry ones. Thanks for trying to teach the difference!” Facebook user Harrison Farms commented on the video.
“Thank you for validating everything I am trying to do with my kids right now. I showed this video to my son to help him understand WHY we do what we do. For him. For his well being. For his future. Not just to be difficult,” Dawn Yuengel wrote.
Mack said he hopes the video “encourages people to keep doing the right thing.”
(H/T: WCVB)