Today, especially in my generation, a lot of teenagers tend to act juvenile and do things that they know are not smart, and could land them into serious trouble. The problem mostly today are random acts of violence, joining gangs, peer pressure, and more. And while people look at these teenagers and shake their heads, does anyone ever look for the reasoning behind their behavior? Not saying every unruly teenager comes from a hard background or that there have not been some teenagers to survive through this background, but majority do not. Especially living in a society that would prefer to point the finger and call them the problem instead of working to help them figure out they are, in fact, the solution.

Many poverty areas consist of single parent homes (mostly mothers), homeowners with an education level up to high school, and there is a high rate of unemployment. Conditions are not always fit for many children to live in and still be able to go out, and function in the world as if everything is fine. Many can be affected at a young age, growing up and doing what they have been taught, and have seen all their life. Many will not know better unless they are shown better.

For this topic I felt I could get my point across better with a poem. It is called Dysfunctional Family:

Let me introduce you to a family
They're one of a kind.
You learn to love and respect them once you get a look at their dysfunctional minds.

Let's meet dysfunctional dad.
He's the bread winner.
The discipline spitter.
Seven kids by 3 different women.
The last baby mama won his heart
But he's never around because he working 3 jobs.
A slave to the system.
His children will never admit it but they miss him.
He only feeds them a love that's tough.
But is that really good enough?
His anger is loud, proud, and stressed.
Every day something new is added to his list of regrets.
And every day his kids prepare themselves
For the night, he goes shopping for that infamous box of cigarettes.

Let's meet dysfunctional mom.
Full time housewife
Don't let her get her hands on a bottle.
A slave to the bottle.
The alcohol in her system takes her to daydreams of being a model.
Fancy clothes, fancy cars.
Jewelry with a twinkle brighter than stars.
Most of her days are spent laid up on the couch.
How many days straight is too high to count.
Her kids look at her in disgust.
But deep down they long for some love.
Everyday neighbors ask them questions about they mama
Being nosy and creeping.
Everyday they answer back "She just in the house sleeping."

Let's meet dysfunctional brother.
Addicted to fast life, fast cash, and fast a**.
No respect for his mom.
His dad is a ghost.
So he heads to the streets where the world is the coldest.
A slave to that thug life.
Chaining Jordan's on his feet.
He focused on one thing: getting money.
He'd rather bang bang like Chief Keef
And smoke reefa
Than working towards something with meaning.
Instead of working for that high school diploma.
He'd rather go and start wars with his other brothers.

Let's meet dysfunctional sister.
She wants love so bad but doesn't know how to get it.
A slave to her loneliness
She works for some attention.
Finds the guy of her dreams and finally enjoys living.
He wraps that Michael Kors rope, I mean purse, around her shoulders.
He shackles, I mean puts those coach shoes on her feet.
All of his gifts means he loves her unconditionally.
Slowly she becomes a slave to his love.
Constantly making peace out of his rough touch.
Bruises clear for everyone to see.
Her only reasoning is "It's only because he loves me."

Let's meet the youngest of the dysfunctional family.
He's a great son.
Gets straight A's in school.
Complete opposite of his brother.
All he does is go to school and stay in his room.
Friends here and there but his trust is slanted.
He just wants to grow up and become his own man.
Hit the gym now and then.
Played on the courts to relieve stress.
One day he was walking home and the cops stopped him in his tracks.
One thing lead to another
He was against the car being arrested
When the media told the story
The cop said he was being jacked up and cussed at.
A slave to the system
He would never be the victim
Too bad dysfunction is a gene that has been made common.
He might have stood a chance.

Many children are labeled by society based on their actions alone when most times the problem goes further than the child. This is with any race. My generation is the future, and we can only make a great one with more support behind the scenes.