Is it in the water? No. Look to the parenting.

This morning, I played "The Fool" by Lee Ann Womack on my radio show on KSTA. Lee Ann Womack is from my hometown of Jacksonville, Tex. Her father was a radio personality for KEBE in Jacksonville, owned by Dudley Waller, whose company would never hire me... but that's a completely separate issue from this post.

While the song played, I began to think about my alma mater, Jacksonville High School.

Over the past 25 years, Jacksonville High School has produced two successful major-label country music singers (Lee Ann Womack and Neal McCoy), three NFL players (Former Dallas Cowboys' punter Toby Gowin, current Tampa Bay back-up quarterback Luke McCown and current Miami back-up quarterback Josh McCown), several other pro football players who played in leagues like the Arena Football League, numerous Division I college football stand-outs (Randy McCown, former Texas A&M quarterback and Richard Whitaker, former Texas A&M runningback), and that's just the high profile success stories.

We have Jacksonville alumni working with the outreach division of the Republican Party. Some have launched successful businesses, while others serve God in the ministry.

Most towns have that one football star that made it. (Rusk has Dr. Jim Swink). Other towns might have that local resident who rose to fame (Coleman has Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn, Lindale has Miranda Lambert, Henderson has Jim Reeves). It is not that common for a town to have as many success stories as Jacksonville.

So, what's with the success stories? Is it something in the water? Having drank Jacksonville water, I can gaurantee you, NO!. Is it the fabulous school system? No. Jacksonville schools have struggled with accreditation ratings and are having to rely too heavily on portable buildings to accomodate its students. That being said, I want to emphasize that when I was in school, we had some of the best teachers in public education.

No, the difference is in the parenting. Lee Ann Womack's mother was a teacher at Jacksonville High School. Her father took her to work with him. They set her up for success.

The McCown brothers' (Luke, Josh and Randy) father taught them to be successful quarterbacks. He taught them a solid work ethic and a strong sense of respect. One of the brothers has even made it public that he is surrendering to the ministry. At the present time, he says he plans on using his football career for God's honor and glory, but after football is over, he plans to serve the Lord in the ministry. The other two McCown brothers are class acts as well.

Toby Gowin's mother taught biology at Jacksonville High School. Her biology class was hard enough, as her philosophy was to set very high standards and empower her students to rise to the occasion. No challenge meant no growth. She forbad her sons from owning home video games like the PS3 (Or SuperNintendo back in that day), though they were allowed to play if they were at a friends house. They were required to change their own oil in their cars, etc. One time, one of her sons made a failing grade in college, and we thought were were going to have to plan a funeral.

The point is that these parents strongly disciplined their children, witheld things that would be detrimental to their kids, and trained and groomed their kids for success. Some of these parents, if not all, even brought their kids up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

These parents did not view their child's success as a game of chance, neither did they buy into the idea that we were just lowly country people capable of little else than continuing the life-cycle of our small town. They grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and reared (not raised) their children. (For a difference between rear and raise, email me). The results are in the pudding.

These kids did not grow up perfect, but they had the opportunity to maximize their potential. Without loving parents to discipline kids, remove destructive influences and conditions, and to train them up in the way they should go, the natural progression is for further rebellion, mistakes, and lifestyle decline. The natural result is failure, both secular and spiritual.

Young parent, your child's future is not up to chance, neither is it limited by your area's socio-economic deficiencies. Your child's future is dependent on your willingness to make the tough choices, take the tough stands, put forth the effort and sacrifice to groom them for success (spiritual and secular) and their desire to follow your parenting. It'll be the toughest thing you ever do, but you can do it, especially if you are living with Jesus as your Savior.

I'm seriously going to lose it!

What is the deal with parents today? Seriously, are they all stupid?

It seems that everywhere I turn, there are parents who are enabling their teenagers' mistakes, mistakes that will cost the kid for a lifetime. They treat drug and alcohol abuse, and premarital sex as a rite of passage.

Parents are moving their daughter's boyfriends into the home with with them, so that their daughters can cohabitate with their boyfriends at the tender age of 15!!!!!?????

Of course, it shouldn't come as a surprise when their teenage daughter comes up pregnant in these instances, but it does. Even then, the delinquent mother or father is excited because "I'm gonna be a grandma!"

HELLOOOOO!!! IDIOT! MORON! YOU HAVE JUST SENTENCED YOUR DAUGHTER TO A LIFE WHERE SHE WILL NEVER GET TO GO TO COLLEGE, NEVER GET TO MAXIMIZE HER POTENTIAL, AND WILL SPEND THE REST OF HER LIFE STRUGGLING TO GET BY FINANCIALLY, POSSIBLY EVEN NEEDING ASSISTANCE FROM THE GOVERNMENT! Seriously, this girl now has an uphill battle in life, and she's not even out of high school yet. Studies show that she might not even finish now... thus relegating her to minimum wage for the rest of her life.

Maybe the boyfriend stays and honors the committment he was not ready to make, maybe he doesn't. Either way, they've got an uphill battle ahead.

And don't give me that "but Leland, the teenagers are responsible for their actions." Between the ages of 12-17, give or take a year or two based on individual development, teenagers brains undergo a lot of changes that are due to puberty, these developments create irrational emotions, unrealistic views of life, and can even render a normal teen insane. Sure, they can make the right decision, but making the right decision becomes next to impossible with parents who are more than willing to point their kids in the wrong direction.

What I'm saying is that when you are 14, you have your first boyfriend or girlfriend (depending on your gender, not your preference). You "feel" all in love, and you're gonna "be in love" forever, and you're going to get married and move to Hollywood and live happily ever after. Take two teens in this mindset, add the hormonal developments of puberty, along with the normal curiosity, move them in together, and you'll have a hard time preventing intercourse. Use common sense! Limit their opportunity to do this, and for Heaven's sake, don't shack them up together.

If you move two teens who "are in love" into the same house, you are not running the risk of teen pregnancy... you have gauranteed it. You, as parent, failed in your role to bring a child up in the way he or she should go, and you will answer for that in the judgment.

Now let's move on to parents who actually provide drugs and alcohol to their teens, and provide "a safe place" for these teens to have drug and alcohol parties. On second thought, let me save this for another day. I'm not in the proper mindset to continue this discussion now.

I've had problems with some who are close to me making this mistake, and I found out that this problem is more prevalent than I first thought. My emotions are further exacerbated by the fact that photos of one of my former youth group members has surfaced on the net, depicting this young person attending a party where alcohol was being consumed in excess, and this individual consuming some.