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Our children need our love

To the editor:

I am saddened by the comments I have been reading about the rape in Steubenville. I am tired of all the negatives about our town, community, schools, churches and parents. Yes, a handful of our youth made stupid, foolish choices that will forever haunt them. Judgment and morality went out the window when alcohol came into play. But how many adults have regretted their actions after a night of drinking?

I feel I must add that these young people were not just Big Red kids. They included Catholic Central kids. The victim herself was from Madonna. These children, although given a religious background in school, also made very poor decisions that evening. Let’s face it, if alcohol were not involved, none of this would have happened. Not every 16-year-old is mature. Not every one is strong enough to stand up in a situation. Add alcohol and what can we all expect?

Were the actions of these kids good? Certainly not. Were they ugly? Yes. But were these bad children? Absolutely not. They are good children. They could be any one of our children in a moment of poor judgment, peer pressure and drinking. I pray we can all learn to forgive. Let’s band together as a community and work harder than ever to educate and protect our children. They need our guidance and our love.

BetteJo Youngkin

Wintersville

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