the devaluation of american children

it has become unequivocally apparent that we do not love our children...

we do not love them enough to put up boundaries...we do not love them enough to say "no" and mean it...we do not love them enough to force them to work hard for things...there is a distinct difference between "encourage" and "force"...

we do not hold them accountable for their actions and let them mourn the loss of their pride once in a while...

as a society, as a "village" that must bear the responsibility of where these children are headed, we underestimate the part we play as the grown-ups in their lives...we are afraid to be the grown-ups, whether we realize that or not...we rescue them from their mistakes because we do not want to "suffer the little children"...no, we take their actions upon our backs...depriving them of life lessons and the opportunities to grow...

we give them "things" so that they will not see how much we do not care for their well-being...we let them speak to adults on an "equal" level so that they will not fear authority and so that they can see how unimportant the adults are in the world...we teach them to carve their own path at the cost of everyone and anything else...we teach them that they are special and deserve every pleasure and joy...we take from them the ability to feel empathy, the ability to understand disappointment and how it can be a catalyst for growth...

we reward them for good grades and choose not to emphasize lifetime learning...we tell them they are "good" but neglect to show them how to "do" good...

we do not love our children for if we did, then they would not think it is okay to watch a young girl raped repeatedly and never ask for help...not once...we do not love our children because if we did, then they would not set someone on fire over $40 and then laugh...

nothing is wrong with our society...nothing is wrong with our world...after all, it is the world we have given to the children...

and they have made it theirs using the lessons they have learned...from us...

cg