To make a better community, one that is safe for everyone, we need to make better citizens. This is a never-ending task that all members of every community must regard. In these trying times of economic hardship and increased criminal behavior, some people think that they can just sit back and let the authorities solve the community’s ills. This is a very big mistake; the responsibility of a safe neighborhood is (and always has been) the work of the people who live in the community. A good neighborhood is the result of everyone doing his or her part in making it so. One of the most important jobs is to teach the children to be responsible. It is best to work on your own children and to leave others to work with their children. Of course there are many things that children need to know. Among these things is the responsibility to value the work of self and others. The rewards of work (most of the time it is money) must be seen as a valued commodity. Not only are the rewards of work healthy in and of themselves, but also how these rewards ought to be handled needs to be shown. When a boy mows the neighbor’s lawn and the neighbor pays him some money, the boy needs to be encouraged to do something respectful with that money. For example, he could buy something that he wants or needs, or, he could be shown how to start a savings account, or he may want to do something charitable. The main thing is that the boy needs to know that there are several praiseworthy avenues into which he may channel the rewards of his labor. If a responsible adult does not give him good direction, then he may not learn that his work is good and valuable. As the child grows he needs to take these early lessons and to extend them to new adventures he will encounter. If he is successful in learning responsibility at the very beginning, he will learn to have respect for himself/herself as well as for others. This is the beginning of making a responsible person and, eventually, a safe community.