Just last week, I was roaming through Target trying to kill some time while waiting to go to a meeting. As I was strolling down one of the main isles, I noticed a phone ringing with a gangster rap ring tone. Slightly annoyed, I turned to look in the direction from which the ringing was coming from to see a nine or ten year old girl pull the ringing phone from her low rise, butt-crack showing, holey, and worn jean's rear pocket. And to top it off, she proceeds to answer the call saying, "What up Beeeeeaaaaattttch?" Disgusted, I glance around to see her mother brousing through some of the sale racks. How did I know that was her mother, you ask. It was very obvious. She was dressed as though she had just gotten off of working the local street corner. They were a matching pair. Like mother, like daughter.
What about the music these days? Lady Gaga, P Diddy, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and so on. These performers (I hate to call them musicians because they're not) have been known to perform very provocative and explicit songs. With that said, why do most of us allow our children to listen to this garbage? I know that I tend to like music that some may think as noise, but I try not to allow my daughter to listen to it. Sometimes, I fall down on my job as a parent in that regard. All I can do is try harder.
In today's society, there are so many things that can and will influence our future generations. Some good. Some not good at all. The problem with parents today is laziness. All too often, we find ourselves overlooking or accepting actions of our children simply because we are pre-occupied with our own needs and wants. This will surely come back to bite us in the end. Our needs and wants should revolve around our children and family. Friends come and go, family is forever.
America, pull your heads out of your butts and take a look around. It isn't society's job to raise your child, it's your's. If you don't want your kids to smoke, punish them when you catch them smoking. Asking them for a cigarette due to your personal cravings is surely to send the wrong message. If you don't want your kids to rob a liquor store and end up in prison, watch what type of kids they hang out with. If your son's best buddy looks and acts like a gangster thug, he probably is one. If you would like to slim down the chances of your kid dying in a car accident, don't buy them a corvette to drive to school in. Sooner or later, peer pressure or just sheer stupidity with put them in a situation where they will think that going fast is cool. Something that powerful in the hands of an idiot can be a deadly combination. In today's world, things tend to be pretty obvious.
And why are we allowing our school systems to teach our children about sex. This is unacceptable! That's our job. How dare they!
I know I jumped around a little on some of these topics, but I hope that my message came through clearly. For most of us, there's still time to repair what damage has been done. Remember, your children are a direct reflection of you. If you don't mind being thought of as one of the worst parents/role models in the world, continue as you are. If not, take every opportunity from here on to nurture and teach your kids things like.....right and wrong, morals, generosity, patience, faith, hope, love, obedience, respect, etc... Forget investing in stocks, bonds, or land. Invest in the true future....your children. The reward is greater than anything you could imagine.
