Tragedy struck an Arkansas middle school Tuesday as two boys opened fire on a group of students standing outside their school. More than 15 kids were hit, with four being fatally wounded.

The gunmen were ages 11 and 13.

The real tragedy is this was not a one-time ordeal. In fact, teenage murder seems to be a growing trend in today’s society.

This was at least the third incident of teenage murder in the past five months. In Kentucky, a youth opened fire on a group of students, killing three and wounding five. In Mississippi, a 16-year-old killed his mother and then shot nine students, killing two.

What is going on with youth today? The ’90s seem to mark an era where this criminal behavior has become the rule rather than the exception.

Many people are pointing fingers. The first target is television. The amount of language, violence and sex that can be witnessed on television now is unbelievable. Prime-time shows are filled with blood and gore on a regular basis.

But let’s face it. Our generation grew up on shows like “The A-Team,” where it was common to see a man get shot. Blaming television for this problem is only scratching the surface.

The root of the problem is the lack of family values in this country. The deterioration of youth is highly co-relational with the deterioration of the traditional family. As teenage crime is becoming a norm, so is adultery, divorce, illegitimate children and single parent families.

In both single- and two-parent families, parents are neglecting their children, leaving television as the babysitter and overworked teachers as the primary care-givers.

There is no easy solution to this problem. It is too big for one cure-all plan. But that doesn’t mean that nothing can be done.

When you decided to become the head of a full-fledged family, take parenting seriously. Bringing children into the world should be an honest commitment, not just an accident to be ignored.

Violence by children will not go away overnight. But if we take responsibility for our future children, it will most certainly decrease.