Broadcaster Seo Jang-hoon gave a stern warning to a mother whose son was sent to juvenile detention.
On the broadcast of KBS Joy’s ‘Ask Anything’ on the 2nd, a mother with a son in juvenile detention appeared as a guest.
That day, the mother shared her concerns, saying, “My son, who is in the 3rd year of middle school, is in juvenile detention. I came here because I’m frustrated about how to care for him when he gets out.”
The mother explained, “My son was quite assertive when he was younger, but he started having trouble after entering middle school. At first, he had a verbal argument with a female student and pushed her, which led to a school violence committee being held and he was suspended.”
She continued, “The second incident was theft. He stole cigarettes and was in a classification center, but then he stole a motorcycle. While on probation, he didn’t go to school, didn’t come home, and lost contact. So, the probation officer forcibly took him in.”
Hearing this, Seo Jang-hoon said, “Since he is a middle school student, this is to be expected. I worry that if he associates with bad kids and becomes curious about new things, he might commit even bigger offenses. I don’t think there is just one cause. We need to look at the child’s original personality, the environment at school, and the environment at home. Have you ever properly disciplined him when he did something wrong?”
The mother replied, “I don’t think I’ve ever scolded him severely. My husband has hit him because he caused a big incident. But then my son reported it as child abuse. Because of that, my husband couldn’t lay a hand on him anymore.”
In response, Seo Jang-hoon pointed out, “Have you ever properly disciplined him for his wrongdoings since he was very young? I don’t think so. I believe everything has a cause. The fact that the child is stubborn and doesn’t know how to bend his will is because you didn’t discipline him for his mistakes when he was young. Leaving him alone when he was little and then hitting him when he grows up and real problems arise is the issue.”
He continued, “You’ve tried for three years, but it hasn’t worked, has it? If he doesn’t get his act together as an adult, then you have to let go. I know it’s not easy for parents to do that. If you don’t let go of that string, your husband and your life will be ruined.”
Finally, Seo Jang-hoon advised the mother’s son, “If you continue to live like this, you will live a life going back and forth to prison for the rest of your life. If you don’t want that, you need to learn to control your desires. Life doesn’t go as you wish.”
Meanwhile, ‘Ask Anything’ airs every Monday at 8:30 PM.
[Lee Se-bin, Star Today Guest Reporter]
