I wrote about teenage relationships, lack of family role models, drugs -- there were so many distractions, I couldn't fit them all in one article.

The topic I want to write about today gets its own column: violence in school.

To understand why there are so many school fights, we have to look at the behavior in school that causes students to fight one another. Yes, I do get into fights myself but not that often. Sometimes people get you to step down to their level and you follow. Another reason why kids get into fights is because they either don't really care about their future, each other's feelings, or they just want to show people how tough they are.

What kids need to realize is that trying to show you are tough by fighting is really only showing you are a mean and selfish person taking away from others.

Why fight? We all are God's children and we take it as a joke or play it like a game. If you want to fight someone, join your school wrestling team or sign up for an after-school program with martial arts or something of that nature. It will be fun, legal, and you don't have to get in trouble. Take it from me, I learned my lesson.

When my 3-month-old nephew and my grandmother passed way, I really didn't care much what anyone said or told me to do. I just did what I wanted to do. School was not for me at the time. I really didn't care for anything in life. I failed a grade for the first time. I started acting up in classes; I started fighting a lot, smoking and drinking alcohol.

One day I realized I was wasting my life, giving myself no chance to succeed. I still had family members looking to me to succeed, I had a job to do, and it was up to me to get right. I stopped smoking and drinking and acting up in classes. I got my grades and my head up. I learned from my mistakes.

But I see people around me making the same mistakes, getting into fights over the dumbest things. One kid got into a serious fight because another boy took his calculator. Instead, he could have gotten another calculator or told the teacher. Another kid got into a fight because people kept telling him that someone said this or someone said that.

People outside of the fights boost them up by watching and saying "get him, get him." And if you've told the other person you were going to beat his or her tail and you lost, now you look like a big loser to everyone who watched, and so a cycle of fighting begins for you to regain your honor.

And what happens if you get caught fighting? Suspension.

You only have what you have until it's gone, so make it last. In this case, what we have is a shot at an education. Starting fights in school forces negative energy on others. So it's up to kids, teachers, and parents to keep each other in check. Respect.

So let's go, parents, and make the right choices for you kids. My favorite saying is "don't break them, make them." Well, once again this is Damion saying good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight to all of you, and thanks for reading.