There’s interesting news from Medical College of George (MCG), evidence from a new study about children and pets published in Journal of American Medical Associatio that having pets may actually help with allergies.

Dr. Dennis R. Ownby, chief of MCG’s Section of Allergy and immunology has followed 474 babies from birth to age 7 and has found that children exposed to two or more in-door pets were half as likely to develop common allergies.

“Allergists have been trained for generations that dogs and cats in house are bad because they increase risk of you becoming allergic to the; we know that before you become allergic to something, you have to be repeatedly exposed to it.”

The video clips are disturbing indeed. The melee that occurred in north Chicago was competing for air time with Sarasota, Florida boys who jumped off a 5 story building into a swimming pool. “Why would they do that?” parents ask. And their next question, stated out loud or not, is “Would my teenager do stupid things like this?”

There are no guarantees. Group mentality has affected people for centuries. The adolescent sense of invincibility wasn’t invented with this generation. Thrill seeking is embedded in our culture. What are parents to do?

I have a friend whose son was arrested for arson. Another whose daughter was arrested for shoplifting, and yet another whose daughter ran off to live with her boyfriend in a crack house. Are these bad parents? Knowing them, I can say they are not. Do good parents have kids that do stupid or dangerous things? No question about it. What are parents to do?

I say it’s time for parents to practice some “herd” mentality and get together to make a difference. It’s too easy for parents to be isolated. It’s too easy for our teenagers, who may think they are invincible, to humble parents into “non-action.”

Non-action is unacceptable.

Parents will not always be able to keep our kids safe. Parents will not always be listened to, or obeyed. But parents who don’t make an active attempt to keep communication open, to express and teach their values, to apply some rules and boundaries, are guilty of abandonment. A majority of teenagers in America live in households where parents exercise minimal – if any - authority. Exercising authority isn’t always easy. But imagine if parents got together and talked. Imagine power parents could have if they created a forum to enhance their connectedness and their communication. That’s how safety nets are formed. Imagine how it could increase chances of keeping our kids safe.