Childhood without...

I feel sorry for the generations that have grown up in the last couple decades. In an age of instant gratification and thirty-minute everything, some things have been irreparably lost. The movement towards political correctness and standardization has led these new generations of kids into creativity-free lives of mediocrity.

My generation survived being born to mothers who smoked, drank, did drugs, took aspirin, and ate whatever they wanted while they were pregnant. And though we "know" these things are BAD, somehow entire generations born under these conditions have not only lived to tell the tale, but quite a few of them have prospered very well.

We were put to sleep on our bellies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup on a warm day was always a special treat, today it's against the law.

When I was a child, parents took the more active part in parenting. All those things I just mentioned we knew to be careful because our parents explained things. They knew to be more careful and observant because they payed attention and read books on childcare other than the bible. We have now begun raising generations of kids who honestly believe that someone else can be to blame for everything. And created for them with our laws, rules and litigiousness a world where no one has to think for themselves, and kids grow up believing what they are told.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and eggs, and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day and we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes! After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We learned by trial and error, not by being told. We learned how to use reason and logic to solve problems all by ourselves. In school we learned how to think, not just how to memorize. We were taught philosophy and music, thereby developing self discipline, curiosity and logic. We were taught that religion was to feed our soul and books were to feed our brain.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms... We had friends that we played with, we had family activities that didn't involve the TV. We had to use a fast dying medium of imagination to entertain ourselves. It was not a chore or a punishment to sit and read a book. We had parents who taught us about the things they liked and encouraged us to create our own likes from nothing.

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our tenth birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment, and learn how to get better with practice. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These previous generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past fifty years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

The generations raised in the last twenty years have had too many things handed to them. They have lost music and philosophy as necessary thought disciplines. Replaced by school sports and religion. We have actually started teaching our children that people, including school teachers, are hell-bound liars for not teaching the same things that the parents faith teaches; instead of simply explaining the difference between faith and science. Parents today have taught their children to fight at the top of their lungs (in the name of god) against things like equality, acceptance and tolerance for all, while completely ignoring the bigger responsibility of teaching responsibility, respect, common decency, manners and dignity. Those are not subjects taught in school, and it is clear with the attitudes of the younger generations that they are not taught at home much anymore either.

Because of the way these children today are raised by their parents ignorance and irresponsibility, we now have the most violent, disrespectful and mediocre generation of young adults this country has ever seen. And they are dying by the thousands every year because we don't stop them and correct them out of fear of being sued or assaulted. I weep for the future, and pray I don't live long enough to see this generation come to any position of power.