Whose Child Is Gonna Be President?

My mother was a school teacher. That meant a lot to me when I was a kid. It meant that I had to stay one step of the game in class because with her there were no excuses. It meant that I couldn't BS my way through anything because she could see right through it. It meant that I was extremely proud of her for spending her life imparting knowledge to young minds. My mom was one of those people who understood the power of education.

Last week, Joshua's school had their SAT's. It was a very big deal of course, meaning that reminders were sent out 2 weeks in advance, along with the standard "tips" for good test performance: get plenty of rest, eat right, study, study, study...etc. And as I read these letters and talked to some of the kids in the neighborhood, it really hit home with me. What did? This did:

We are starving our children by giving them too much. We have Playstations, and XBoxes and DVDs and ipods and video games and this and that and the other. And we have the latest in technology and the best foods and the best clothes and the best entertainment and we feed this to them on a daily basis.

But what we are not giving them, what they are lacking, is: motivation, a desire for learning, a thirst for knowledge, a purpose in life, an insatiable curiousity, an endless litany of "why" and "when" and "where" and "what if". We have singlehandedly created the largest group of apathetic, self-absorbed, lazy young people that has probably ever existed. Need help with a problem? Sure, we'll either spoon feed you the answer or give you a pill that makes you feel better about not knowing the answer. Heaven forbid you actually have to work for something or that your parents let you figure it out for yourselves. That would require too much work and patience on both sides.

We have the best educational system in the world, despite the butchering it has undergone in the past 30 years, and we are turning out some of the dumbest people. I know 4th graders that don't even know who Betsy Ross is. Betsy Ross people! I know teenagers who can't name the first 5 presidents of the United States. I shudder to think what this world will be looking like when these people are running the show.

Our children are being ruined by our attempts to "give them a good life". Want to give your child a good life? Make 'em work for it. Stop handing every single thing that they want over to them. I have a 12 year old that's cutting grass this summer so he can buy his own school clothes for next year, without me having to do it. That was his idea. That on top of the mandatory summer reading list that I have for him.

Make them think. Foster their sense of curiousity and amazement with how the world works. (It's still in them somewhere, you just may have to look pretty deep to find it.) Remind them every chance you get that no matter where you live or what your circumstances are, education is the key to changing everything. Education is knowledge and knowledge is power and with that power you can change the world.

Parents, look closely at your children. They are the future. Non-parents, look closely at the children around you. They are the future. We are all role models, whether we like it or not. Let's just try to be good ones.

Peace allllll.......................