Time is a gift

The sins of the father certainly seem to be condemning our children. I do agree that if you were to pole the prisons there would be many an abused child serving time.

Why are so many children today committing such atrocities? Is it always abuse? Sometimes I think that there are too many experts. Why does a child have to be told that he is unique, that he is beautiful, or that he or she (I'm not just picking on males)can be what ever he wants to be.

These are words and nothing more. You can tell children these things till there blue in the face but it won't mean one thing if you as a parent don't give them your time.

Attention shows a child that he means something to you. Working with the child on a project proves that they can accomplish anything. Give them attention and they won't have to act out in public to get it.

Unfortunately, there are very few families today that have time to give to their children. They barely have time to turn around let alone cook a home made meal for their them. So they resort to words of praise rather then giving them their time.

I grew up in the 50's. Just about everyone of my friends had a stay at home mother. Every neighbor knew every child in the neighborhood and believe me all eyes were on you. You got too much attention at times.

And there were times when a child did get a hold of a gun and accidentally shoot another child. It was not blasted across the papers, no one rose up in arms.

Was it because of communication? Was the crime rate lower? I don't know. I do know that as a 5th grader I walked to school with a German sward for show and tell and no one got upset. I just thought it was cool. Now this poor kid shows up with a bullet. Who knows, he may just have thought it was cool. And as was stated that incident could have been a good opportunity to discuss what could have happend with that bullet. Unfortunately, he lives in this day and age where children are killing children.

So what made kids change? By the 60's there was a beheading at one of the high schools in my town. I bet I would not have been able to walk that same area with the sword after that?

But it was by the late 60's when more and more women had to head into the work force. Kids were no longer listening to their parents and they were living by the philosophy that they should be able to do what ever they wanted. After that it was the me, myself and I generation. And now it is the "because I'm worth it" generation.

When it becomes every man for himself, I believe the world becomes a lonely place. And hell, if you don't care about the person next to you anyone can become expendable. Maybe it isn't the guns that are the problem it is society.

And as I have observed recently it is not just the big guys that are taking advantage of the little guys it is the little guys too who do it to each other. We certainly are a sad, sad, generation.