Members of older generations talk a good game about how ill-prepared for “the real world” our younger generations are … until they are reminded who was responsible for raising those in the younger generations. Parents and guardians must remember they are responsible for more than keeping children alive for 18 years. It’s not up to the school system or –perish the thought — their friends to teach them how to use common sense and exercise personal responsibility while navigating this society we are creating for them.

An upsetting reminder of that parental responsibility popped up earlier this week, when Wood County Schools posted on social media about an elementary school student who told a bus full of kids he or she had a gun, and then pulled out a squirt gun.

“At no time was there any danger to students, and the bus driver spoke to both the child and a parent about the seriousness of the situation,” the message from WCS reads.

But it goes on to make an important point: “This is a good opportunity for parents to remind their children it is never appropriate for a student to joke about having a weapon and even carrying a toy weapon can cause panic and potentially lead to serious consequences,” the message continues. ” … we ask parents to help us in teaching children about responsible behaviors.”

Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Aren’t parents supposed to be doing that heavy lifting, with the schools assisting?

It seems that isn’t happening nearly as much as it should, as a much more serious incident near Ohio State University’s campus shows us. At least 14 people were taken to a hospital after a roof collapsed “due to many, many students on top of the roof,” according to Columbus’ fire chief. So far, the investigation seems to indicate there was no structural deficiency before dozens of college students piled onto the roof. (Witness reports range from 15 people to as many as 45 up there.) Even in the state many college students get in during such gatherings, one would think it is just common sense that you don’t load up a roof with a bunch of people.

Talk to your kids. Talk to them young and don’t stop talking about using their heads and behaving intelligently and responsibly. Failure to take that step does more than let them down. It could be deadly.