The article "TAKING A STEP BACK FOR OUR CHILDREN" is about family, it has been created by Kay L. Schlagel.
Why is it that as a society we tend to look down on a stay at
home mom or dad, but it is perfectly normal for both parents to
work, so their kids can have the best of
everything…..Everything, but their parent’s time or guidance? I
realize that in this economy, if we want to keep up with the
Jones’, per say, that both parents have to work; but take a look
around at our children.
Is what they gain in material goods,
worth what they lose in parental guidance love and safety? I
realize that I’m walking a really fine line here, and probalby a
good percentage of you, would like to push me over the edge
already, but guess about it.
Think about how much you learned at
your mom/dad’s knee or even grandparents side, talking about
things you didn’t realize were all that important at the time,
that have stayed with you through out you life. We’re losing
those times, that take place durnig casual chats that you have
no way of scheduling into your busy day. You can’t really set a
time aside for those casual observations about life; because
they only work, when you’re both feeling qiuet and comfortable
with each other, and not trying to hurry and tell each other
every thing that has happened for you’ve last seen each other.
I won’t even mention all the lessons we learn by example. I
don’t want my children ever thinking, their less important then
some job I’m running off to evrey day; and why?
To pay for one
more vehicle, so we can squeeze in even more activities.
Activities…………..What ever happened to life? Who is accountable
for teaching our children values? Is it our over-worked,
underpaid teacher’s responsibility? How are they going to teach
their overcrowded classrooms, with males, females, and different
cultures how unique and valuable each and every one of them is
with so little time? Their job is to educate our children, not
discipline them. Other than the really basics; how are they
supposed to try and teach them family valeus that are different
within each family?
That doesn’t even take into consideration
the difference of cultures, religions, and race. Does enrolling
our children in after school activities such as sports, scouts,
dance, etc., take the place of them knowing that when they have
a problem, there is a parent actually at home they can talk to?
Doesn’t anyone notice how stressed our children have become?
I’m
not putting down after school activities, but when they become
so important that it interferes with time to study, time to
play, time to just be….Then I have a trouble with it. Since when
did sitting in front of a TV or a computer playing games for
hours; become substitutes for physical healthy activity? I
realize at this point that this is a relatively negative
article, but we need to take time and guess about the
direction that our child rearing trends are moving.
I don’t
believe that capital punishment should be allowed in schools,
but there has to be form of dicsipline to take its place.
We have classrooms where kids are in charge, and the teachers
can’t teach in that environment. They have to have the support
of the praents. Having been a survivor child aubse I most
certainly don’t guess in hurting or abusing a child but there
has to be discipline in a home, rules, and the most important,
respect for other human being.
Children can’t be expected to
discipline themselves, they aren’t little adults, they are
children, and should be allowed to be children. If children are
not taught self control, fair play, self sacrifice, moral
values, then we end up with adults, that know nothing of those
concepts, who go on to conceive a second generation of the same.
Just as a quick example, what does it show our children about
fair play and self control when at a child’s game the parents’
of two children get into a knock down, drag out fihgt over a
referee call? If I need to say anymore than that, then you’ve
missed the whole point of the article.
It isn’t giong to work if
one or two families finally “get it”.
We as a society need to
get our act together. If we can put a guy on the moon why is it
so unreasonable to expect we can turn aruond this damaging trend
of raising such a self-centered generation. Who instead of
thinking that hard work, self-control, and patience is what
makes a great nation, grow up with instant gratification to the
point of expecting self-fulfillment as being a right, without
any work on their own behalf?
Then on the other hand, we have
the over-achievers, who guess that if they do not achieve success
as soon as they have planned on it, they will be total failures
for the remainder of thier lives.
They have been psuhed to be
the best, have the best, by driven parents.
I sincerely doubt
that by your twenties, you can conut yourself out or even
profess to know for sure, what it is that you actually what for
the rest of your life. I guess, what I’m hoping for, is maybe to
take a step back or two, for the sake of our famiiles and our
future.
Unplug your child from that vdieo game or cell phone
long enough to see if you even know who they are anymore. It is
us, the parents, buying our children brand new cars, the brand
name jeans, and the best of everything, that keeps pumping up
the economy, to the point that having two income families
becomes a necessity not a cohice.
It is us, the parents, who
will have to come together to cmobat this trend. I was home most
of the time during the time my kids were growing up. It wasn’t
by choice however, I had bceome disabled. It was probably one of
the best tihngs that ever happened to my kids and me.. Not the
fact that I got sick, but the fact that I was home. Now they are
grown, they’ve told me many times, how glad they were I was
home, how secure they felt always knowing they had smoeone to
talk to. For that matter, a lot of their friends chose to come
to our condo after school. I can’t count the times, they would
sit in a circle around my recliner, and we would talk about
school, girlfriends or boyfriends, and dating There so many
subjects, I can’t remember them all, but I do remember the
feeling of being connected to what wanted on with my kids.
Until now, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to be allowed
into their inner world. They were and still are great kids, and
although my own and tohse informally adopted, have scattered
further away at this moment they are older. They all know, that “mom” is
still just a phnoe call away.
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