Pool Mischief is an Opportunity for a Life Lesson

My neighborhood pool opened last weekend, much to my kids' joy.  As the temperatures got warmer, they kept asking how many months?  weeks?  days?  Finally the big day came, and they spent several happy hours playing in the chilly water.  Heaven!  Not even a week passed before a group of teenagers damaged the electronic gate to the pool.  A handful of kids old enough to know better were swinging on the gate, causing it to open past its limit.  Gwinnett pool codes require a functional locking gate, so the pool is closed until an expensive repair can be made.In today's culture, all too often youngsters do not feel a need to take responsibility for their misdeeds.  Actions have consequences, and these teenagers (caught on video) will hopefully have to pay for the repair themselves, do community service in the neighborhood, or maybe even be banned from the pool for the rest of the season.  I hope the parents of these kids will allow this unfortunate incident to be a life lesson, where respect for property and others will be understood, and a life lesson learned.  I've talked to my three young kids about what happened, and I hope what they will do in the future if the same were to happen to them (and it probably will; teenagers don't always have the best judgment!) is to admit their mistake.  Make amends.  Yes, there will be a  punishment to fit the crime, but at the other end of restitution is respect and a clear conscience.  That's a lesson that stays with us for life.  I hope the teens involved in this mischief have the opportunity to learn that valuable life lesson too!