I have a saying: There should be a law against being young and having lots of money…

One thing we know about youth is that they think they are indestructible, and as such think that there is nothing that can hurt them. So they tend to push the limits, just to see what they can get away with. Even when what they are doing can hurt them mentally or physically or is against the law, if they can come out on the other end still intact then they will continue to push the envelope.

Add money and fame to the mix – and an obscene amount of it to boot – and the chances that young people take are exacerbated to the point of blithe irresponsible behavior. They won’t just risk their own well being, but they then think nothing of taking chances with other people’s lives, a lot of the time people they don’t know. Anybody who has witnessed a street race first hand knows exactly what I’m talking about.

From Lindsey Lohan to Paris Hilton and now Michael Vick, youth and money in combination with talent and way too much hype – that in some cases doesn’t match the talent –can cause an inability to realize the responsibility that comes with that combination. We throw obscene amounts of monopoly money at some youngsters and make the mistake of believing that they have the maturity to handle it. They become too big too quickly, and then we as well as they are left to wonder why it is they find themselves in the predicaments they are in.

This can serve to educate other youngsters — and their enablers — because there is an obvious danger in validating a youth too early. Some youngsters can handle the responsibility of carrying themselves responsibly once they have financial security and instant celebrity (LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Beyonce’, Christina Aguillera). However, others allow that easy money and the accompanying fame to cloud their decision-making and jeopardize their opportunities. Lohan, Hilton and especially Vick clearly fell into the latter category.

Some youths understand that the bigger they become, the more responsible and cautious they have to be, and as a result they can handle fame and fortune. Unfortunately there are other youths that don’t learn that lesson. They allow fame and fortune to enable them to behave badly and to engage in riskier and riskier behavior the more they get.

I was young once. I didn’t have money but that didn’t stop me, like any teenager or young adult, from behaving irresponsibly more than I’d like to think about. I bent a law or two along the way (never got caught, fortunately) and grew out of my risky behavior (my twin sister’s untimely death at age 22 certainly contributed greatly to changing my previously risky behavior). You just hope that most youngsters learn to act a little more responsibly without hurting themselves or ending up in jail – or worse.

Hilton has done her time in jail. Lohan in all likelihood is on her way to jail. The most tragic case here is Vick, who, in creating a criminal enterprise, is probably going to spend a considerable amount of time in jail and clearly has the most to lose. Fortunately God isn’t through with any of them yet, so maybe they all come out on the other end much wiser and much more responsible.

– daveydoug