Should parents take responsibility for their children? Most of us would say…of course!
That question is on the table today in New Jersey’s Gloucester Township, where a new ordinance threatens parents with fines and even jail time if their kid misbehaves in any one of 28 different ways. The law was passed in late July, and has (some) parents up in arms; my guess is those are the ones whose kids are getting into trouble.
The list of offenses that might see parents hauled into court is long, and broad. It includes “destruction of playground equipment”, “drug dealing”, “loitering” and other ways that young people might cause a “public disturbance.” Some of the offenses are peculiarly hard to define, like “immorality” and “incorrigibility”; the list makes it clear that law enforcement and judges will have considerable discretion.
New Law Rightly Makes Parents Responsible for the Unruly Under-Age Kids https://t.co/etmPGNAaPD pic.twitter.com/yC4SYCuKDc
— Liz Peek (@lizpeek) August 13, 2025
The law came about because of a free-for-all involving some 500 teens and young adults that broke out last year at a town event that caused injury to 3 cops and the arrest of 11 juveniles, including one who was only thirteen years old. The Police Chief David Harkins described the dangerous scene: “Right in front of the officers, they didn’t care. They start fighting, violently fighting. Our officers interjected themselves heroically to keep them from getting hurt.”
The Police Chief has clarified that parents are unlikely to be thrown in the clink if their kid misbehaves once; multiple transgressions, though, could bring the law into play. He said the law was modeled after similar legislation in other communities shaken by unruly teens.
The mayor is on board, though it sounds like he’s going to get an earful from parents who feel the law is an egregious overreach and that the new rule won’t fix the problem of disruptive teens. Some of the parents think the occasional melee stems from towns trying to curb over-aggressive policing; cops, being under the gun, are reluctant to weigh in to keep the peace.
That may be, but in recent years some towns and cities have enacted “Raise the Age” laws, which lighten the penalties on youthful offenders. The upshot is that kids feel impervious to punishment; gangs are employing young punks to do their dirty work, confident that they won’t get into trouble. This permissiveness has backfired, as we have seen with gangs of teen thugs beating up cops in Times Square and recently attacking the young DOGE worker who intervened to stop a carjacking in D.C.
It’s time for towns and cities to reverse these laws, and enact others to rein in teens who are up to no good. The idea that young people can destroy public property or participate in skirmishes where police end up in the hospital with virtually no penalties is absurd. They should be held accountable, and their parents should face reprisals as well. Parenting is hard work, but ultimately moms and dads are responsible for their under age kids. They cannot simply turn a blind eye.
I once attended a meeting held by a group called Parents in Action, that help parents navigate tricky issues like curfews and under-age drinking. A child psychologist spoke to the gathering, encouraging them to make their family rules as tight as possible. Teens, she said, were bound to transgress. But if breaking the rules means being out an extra ten minutes after ten o’clock, that’s much better than disappearing for an hour after midnight. Similarly, banning cigarettes is better than drawing the line at pot smoking. The point is…it’s up to parents to set the boundaries.
The local head of the Moms of Liberty, a group of “Americans empowered and thriving in a culture of Liberty” according to their website, is unhappy with the law, which he describes as an attack on parents. The organization describes itself as “dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.” Parental rights are extremely important, but so are parental responsibilities. If your kid causes a disturbance that puts other children at risk, or damages property bought and paid for by other tax-paying parents, that is not ok.
One woman who happened to be at the shopping center last year when the brawl broke out told a local newscaster, “It was completely crazy and scary. It’s not fair,” Rayner said. “My son’s 8 years old, and he’s looking up at me with tears in his eyes.”
Moms of Liberty says “Parents have the natural right to direct the upbringing of their children.” That is correct, but they have the “natural right” to discipline them as well.
