I have had the good fortunes of traversing the globe and seeing daily family struggles from a variety of angles. The one constant thing I see across America is the lack of emphasis placed on child development. Yes! The expectations set for most children is either non existence or meekly low. As recently as the day of this entry, I had a co-worker openly share that she was confronted with a teenager who dropped out of school in the sixth-grade. When he dropped out of school, he related that school interfered with his being a big time thug. This young man has just recently turned eighteen-years-old and does not have motivation to redress the issues that led him to his present predicament. He has joined many others in his peer group who have thrown in the towels to having a better life.
My motivation for exploring this topic grew when I heard that the high schools in the city I live were deemed manufacturers of school dropouts. There is enough blame to go around as to why children are not firmly given concrete family support from birth to adulthood. When you live in a world where grandparents earn their designation at twenty-nine years old, then you have to ponder. In addition, the age of conception is continuing to be lowered with far too many twelve and thirteen year olds given birth. I have no earthly idea who is the head of household in many of these instances. Children should have an opportunity to be children and to know that they are going to receive love and support. A big part that love has to be tough love that reinforces a commitment to high expectations. When you observe families in your neighborhoods you can immediately identify the parents who parent through default. Simply, the good child is mines and the bad child is yours, but neither one has put forth effort in both situations.
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Your post reminded me of two boys I saw this week. I did an assessment for one to stay somewhere before he went to boot. The other one came with him and then both began to share stuff about their childhood. Their experiences were very similar and their recruiter was obviously their new hero. It is very sad for me to think this, but I am beginning to believe that the military, even in the state of war, could possibly be a better parent than what these boys had - at least there will be food, shelter, and companionship. I did encourage them to follow their recruiter's orders (avoid felonies) and try to do well in whatever the Marines decided for them.
Dear David,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding poverty in the 21st century. The problems that you address are very challenging and complex, and I understand your concerns. In spite of the odds, we must maintain a sense of hope and commitment to change our current approach to parenthood. At least you are a person who dares to care and speak out.
Best wishes!
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