I don't read or really watch Fox News however I came across and interesting article called, We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists (Jan 8, 2013). This was probably one of the few times where I thought Wow, they got it right. To take a step back and look at this world that we have each helped to create I cannot help but agree.
Our kids are raised with this foolish ideology that they are the most important being in the world, that all that matters is their point of view, their feelings, and their social media pages. Accumulating masses of "friends" and "followers", recording things that should never even occur let alone be recorded (how many girls have been sexually assaulted or assaulted in general to have it posted all over FB or youtube? I am at a loss: do kids think this funny? do they not think they are doing something wrong? Are they so disconnected with reality that they think doing such ridiculous things are okay?). Social Media has become a life force all its own and I do not think that most parents or the public schools have caught on yet or even know how to deal with it.
I am struggling because I do not want to appear judgmental but how do all of these kids get so off-based? How do we keep producing all these people that are so self centered? I do not have teenagers, yet, and to be honest I am almost dreading it For lack of a better way to say it: my kids will have to deal with stuff that I have never had to walk through. The internet was basically brand new when I was growing up, cell phones were not "in" until I was like 19 (puh-lease in "my day" all the cool kids walked around with pagers and quarters in their pockets to call people from the payphones.) Despite all of that, I hope I can still teach my children respect. Respect for all people and for themselves. They are no better then the next person. Facebook, youtube, or any other site out there on the internet doesn't decide or validate who they are or who they will become.
My hope is to raise my kids with a broader scope of vision than a cell phone or an ipod or what video they can post on whatever site is cool at the time. I hope I can raise my children to be the kids who grow into the adults that run into the fire to help others, not to be the people who can't even see the fire because they are too consumed with themselves. I do not believe in home schooling, however there is a HUGE part of me that just wants to take my kids and keep them shielded and protected from so much non-sense, but I realize that that my role as a parent is much larger than that. I have three children. Three kids that will become teenagers and adults. Its my job to help them become the best they can be so they can help create a better world, so they can help stop these terrible cycles so they can contribute great things (no matter how big or small) to this world. I do not know what my kids will be when they are all grown up, but I do know that I will fight for them and fight against this attitude that is prevalent in our society.
I have been thinking about this since a young boy killed himself in a local middle school not that long ago. I have since found so many heartbreaking stories of young kids being tossed to the side like garbage by their peers. Since when do we raise our children to not care about fellow human beings? Since when do we teach our kids that there is nothing more important than themselves? Lets be real here. Who do we really blame?
We live in the world where it truly feels like its each man for himself. I will fight my way through, step on whoever I have to in order to survive. What a caveman mentality. I truly believe in the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. It takes my friends, my family and my neighbors looking out for each other to raise a wonderful next generation. What happened to community? To brotherhood? To loving your neighbor?
Teaching our kids to be loving, to be respectful, to look out for others is more than a one time conversation. Its a lifestyle. Its more than a few minute conversation in class at school. There has to be a way to fight this direction we all seem to be heading in. It has to start somewhere.
I encourage everyone to take a few moments and read about just a few kids and their struggles (copy and paste the URL):
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/21/michigan-student-13-commits-suicide/2006643/
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/14/17747411-california-case-another-three-part-tragedy-of-rape-cyber-bullying-and-suicide?lite
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2218532/Amanda-Todd-Anonymous-names-man-drove-teen-kill-spreading-nude-pictures.html
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_22843875/rape-ohio-shows-perils-and-power-social-media
The two girls pictured at the top of this post are Amanda Todd and Audrie Pott. The parents of these beautiful girls want their children's stories to be the voice of change. I believe now is the time for education, educating our children on so many levels, helping them realize that even if a crowd of people is walking in one direction it is okay to turn and walk the other way. It is okay to help the person who has been kicked down. It is okay to not be a carbon copy of your peers. It is okay to make mistakes. In the case of both of these girls, they made mistakes that cost them their young lives. One girl drank alcohol at an unsupervised party leaving her vulnerable to the worst of the worst, the other girl sent inappropriate pictures of herself to an online predator. It is okay to teach our children to stand up to people, to stand up for injustice, to stand up for the things that are going wrong in this world.
I hope that I can help contribute to change. My every breath will be to help create change, to educating my children, to helping this cycle of a self destructive society to end.
Ending my post with this video from YouTube. Please take a few moments and watch. I really believe that change starts with me and my family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VF6cmddWOgU
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