In Friday's paper, we ran a story about a fight between two 16-year-old male students. The reason for the fight? A girl.

There's nothing surprising about that. Unfortunately, male testosterone has gotten the better of many young men when it comes to competing for the affections of a pretty girl.

However, this otherwise forgettable story, took an ugly turn, and one that is symbolic of a big problem in American society: a lack of discipline.

When a teacher noticed that one of the boys was upset, she went over to see what was wrong. However, instead of listening to his elder and an authority figure, the 16-year-old student assaulted the teacher and pushed her to the ground. The story only gets worse, as the boy went on to repeatedly strike an intervening administrator, giving him a bloody nose.

This type of behavior is despicable and unacceptable, and yet similar instances happen with alarming frequency.

Teachers are not responsible for instilling discipline in their students; if parents haven't noticed, teachers have their hands full simply trying to help students learn the basics.

The more time teachers spend focusing on students behavior, the less time that can be spent instructing youth on the skills they'll need to become productive citizens in a, hopefully, vibrant and productive society.

Discipline needs to be taught at home. Period.

Lack of discipline in children is symptomatic of a lack of discipline from parents, who probably themselves fail to show proper respect to teachers and fellow human beings in general.

No one should accept the excuse that parents don't have time to instill discipline because they're both working to support the family. Raising children is a serious responsibility. No one is forcing people to become parents. If you have children, it's your responsibility to take the time to raise them properly, regardless of the sacrifice required of you.

It's time for parents to take the bull by the horns and demand their children respect authority.

The student referenced above was arrested and charged with battery and simple battery.

If found guilty, his future will be forever ruined, likely because of a lack of parental discipline. And the cycle continues.