Holding Together While The Household Falls Apart

" I had a rough childhood"
Never has that expression been thrown around as we have seen in recent years. Every murderer, rapist, child pornography, alcohol and drug abuser, they all blame their parents. We as a society are actually started to feel bad for these people, and almost excuse their actions in our minds. I don't think I am the only one who notices that this kind of behavior is morally wrong at best and moronic at worst.
Parents have been parenting the same basic ways for centuries. If a child is bad, they get hit. Hopefully, they never do whatever they did to earn the beating again. If they were dumb enough to try the same stunt again, watch out. I am not saying I am condoning hitting a child who misbehaves, what I am saying is, how come all of a sudden this behavior, that has been seen as effective for years, is considered wrong.
I believe the answers lie in the media. We pay constant attention to these children's shattered lives, sob stories, tears. Never do we bother to ask ourselves what these kids did to deserve the punishment they receive. Everyone tends to assume that it was unprovoked, which I am sure is wrong in most cases.
The fact of the matter is that nobody ever said you had to like your family. I know plenty of people that do not get along with family members and still live very successful lives. I personally have a family that argues with me constantly, and yelling and threats are seen as commonplace in my household. However, I have never even done as much as consider any of these criminal acts that these other people seem to turn to first after family conflicts. I am not alone either. I know people who go through violent divorces, parents in jail, or parents that just ignore them or beat them. These same kids are now college students who have complete control of their lives, from what I can see.
There is so much stress on family now and I personally think its kind of ridiculous. Sure, if you have a family that supports you and treats you like a decent human being you have a great thing going. However, if you do not, its not the end of the world. There are still plenty of things that we can do to have people in our lives that care for us. People can seek comfort in friends, teachers, whoever they feel is close to them. Do not let society dictate how we act and what we become.

Go to who you feel is right, and reach out for those who you feel will always reach back to you.