Dear Mary-anne: Why do parents always cover for their children?
QUESTION:
Our family owns a small business in town, with a narrow parking area for customers outside. Last week a 17-year-old drove off in a hurry and hit the bollard protecting the building. She heard the noise but didn't stop. Someone from this child's family stormed in to abuse us for having the bollard painted the same colour as the building making it hard for their child to see! She's done $2000 worth of damage to her car and they think it's our fault. How is it OK for this generation to be so protected from the consequences of their actions?
ANSWER:
Bollard: a short sturdy vertical post designed to prevent cars ramming buildings.
Bollards are usually seen outside buildings vulnerable to attack, or as in this case, buildings with tight parking areas. When you read this definition, it's clear that the bollard did its job.
You can almost picture the scene when this 17-year-old showed up with her damaged car. I imagine plenty of shouting and berating before the parents cast around for someone to blame. If you can't blame the bollard, then who better to blame than the owners of the building. It's lucky the bollard wasn't a small child or someone in a wheelchair, who couldn't be clearly seen. If that had been the case, the parents of this 17-year-old would have had a lot more to worry about than $2000 worth of damage to their back bumper.
The onus of responsibility is clearly on the driver. By law, we have to make sure it's clear before we reverse. We've all made mistakes especially when we're in a hurry – as you say this girl was.
The question you ask is specifically about this generation of young people. I wonder though, if this problem is not generational but more particular to some people. The best thing we can do is let children learn from the consequences of their actions but you'll always find parents who don't do this. They cover or blame, they excuse and they pay out, thus producing children who grow into adults that cover, blame, excuse and pay out. It perpetuates.
I doubt you'll hear from the parents again as anyone who knows the road code knows they don't have a leg to stand on if they try to insist you pay for the car. They've vented their anger and excused their daughter. And they'll do that again.