These are my thoughts… | The Austin Metcalf Murder

Even though this happened right up the road from me, I initially had little interest in speaking on the senseless murder of Austin Metcalf. Now that the verdict is in, I want to chime in from a cultural and parental perspective. Two points.
First — impulse control. One of the greatest values you can instill in your children. A lot of young people don’t understand that no matter what they’ve accomplished, they are one very stupid decision away from throwing it all away. The talent doesn’t matter. The grades don’t matter. The scholarship, the plans — none of it matters once the decision is made. It can’t be taken back. Impulse control has to be taught early. The kid who learns to pause and think before reacting is the kid who keeps their future intact.
Second — teach your kids that not everyone was raised the same way. You cannot account for other people’s impulse control or lack of it. Your children cannot underestimate how quickly someone else can throw their own life away and negatively impact theirs in the process. People project their own ethics onto others and it leads to serious miscalculations. This applies especially if you’re raising kids in affluent areas where danger feels distant. Naivety in the wrong place at the wrong time has gotten a lot of good people caught off guard.
You’re not raising them to be paranoid. You’re raising them to be aware. If you’re a parent — this one’s for you.