Letter: Tackle real problems; let children play

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2002 | 9:12 a.m.

Regarding the Sun's Nov. 8 story about the city of Henderson proposal to make it illegal for kids to play with sporting equipment in neighborhood streets: As parents of two 8-year-old boys, my husband and I are finding it hard to believe that neighbors in our community want to rob our children of their childhoods.

Have these people ever thought about the alternative to playing basketball and other sports in front of these kids' own homes?

Society is trying to direct children away from drugs and gangs, but it seems there are quite a few people pushing our children right into this path of destruction. The kind of people who support this proposal are the first to say, "What's happened to the youth of today?" Maybe these people need a little help in figuring out how to be more productive in our society and how to stop pinpointing "annoyances" about our neighbors.

So, to all these people with nothing better to do, here's a solution: The Salvation Army, Red Cross, shelters for the homeless and battered women -- they all need volunteers. Or how about cleaning up our streets, yes, even in those areas they're too afraid to go into once the sun goes down.

Take a look at the real problems we have as a community. When did we stop becoming neighbors and start becoming each other's worst enemy? And our children? Be kind to them. They are the ones who will dictate your future.

TRACI REASLAND

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