We can thank four Cassville High School teenagers in Missouri for another contender of things you never imagine you would have to explain to your child: Never pee in another's person drink.
Apparently, four players from Cassville High School's girls' basketball team confessed to urinating in a cup and dumping one of the cups into visiting Monett High School's water cooler. The girl whose urine was used in the prank is being tested for transmittable diseases, according to news reports.
The district's superintendent, Brad Hanson, may have been trying to avoid a spitting (well, not exactly spitting) match when he was quoted as saying:
"We all need to remember that people make mistakes whether we're adults or 14- to 18-year-old kids," said Hanson. "We need to sit back, no matter how upset, appalled or angry we are. I'm asking for our students, coaches and community to take the high road on this and show we are the classy people we are."
Classy doesn't spring to mind in connection with this story.
Outraged parents are rightly questioning whether the offenders are being punished appropriately. Certainly if there were ever grounds of expulsion, this case merits consideration.
But, the rest of us may also rightly question what kind of breakdown in values transmission must happen for teenagers to think such an act is anywhere near the bounds of normal teenage pranks.
Most people make at least a few poor choices due to immaturity and youthful indiscretion. But, it shouldn't take the Greek chorus of the Internets raining criticism for an individual to know that some things are bad and other things are beyond the pale.
I had the same sort of questions during the Steubenville rape trial and sentencing.
What parent imagines they need to explicitly tell their children:
Don't rape your classmates.
Don't stand around and make videos of your classmates getting raped.
Don't threaten to kill rape victims.
Society has a vested interest in rehabilitating children, already into their teens, who seem to lack a very basic understanding of right and wrong.
Rather than just shaking our heads when we read or hear about such reports, perhaps we should share our disgust and state the (hopefully) obvious to those children old enough to know better.
• Read more articles by AISHA SULTAN
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