|
 |
|
|
These Kids Today
By James Emery Vigh of profbruno.com
"These kids today..." How many times have we used that, or at least heard it uttered? In the movie "Bye Bye Birdie", comedic actor Paul Lynde muses in the song "Kids" about how kids behave. (The stage musical is currently on tour.) Bill Cosby, in one of his stand-up (or sit-down) routines talks about how "all children are brain-damaged". He used his experiences with his own children as material for his monologue. Then there is the beloved and time-tested: "When WE were kids, we used to walk five miles to school barefoot in two feet of snow. Up hill. Both ways..." An 11-year old boy will sit in front of you fidgeting and being generally annoying -- then deny to your face that he is doing any such thing. Kids. But kids are also like sponges. They observe the actions of others, and are influenced by them. They understand hypocrisy and are turned off by it when they see it in their elders. Using "Do as I say and not as I do" will not be an effective teaching technique in the long run. But that's exactly what many of us do. We talk about morals and send our kids to Sunday School, but our own behavior is less than moralistic. We then wonder why they reject our most cherished traditions. We cheat on our spouses, or we end up getting divorced and then we have trouble understanding why our kids turned out the same way. We have cynical attitudes on life. We see only the bad things or the possible bad outcomes, then wonder why our kids have problems adjusting to life. We wonder why they don't even seem interested in pursuing their dreams. How can we expect our children to succeed in life after spending years teaching them how not to? We have to be better examples for our children. We live in the information age. We can't forever shield our kids from seeing information on the internet or on cable TV that we consider to be either objectionable or just disagree with. But we can turn it into a teaching moment. Kids need to learn not only the "do" and the "not do", but also the "why". The "why" is the ultimate reason whether to do, or not to do anything. Let kids be kids. Don't expect an 8-year old to think and behave like a mature adult. Many mature adults don't even act like "mature adults". We need to recognize that we as humans are not perfect, but if we see ourselves acting "imperfectly" in front of our kids, we have a responsibility to them to point out these imperfections. We need to get our own act together before we should expect our kids to do the same. But kids will still be kids.
|
James Emery Vigh Personal Blog
| Professor Bruno Noteworthy's Blog
| Articles on Music and the Guitar
PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
No reactions yet.
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
|
 |
|
Great points!
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thanks Karla. I appreciate it. Didya notice that there was another article just put out by the same name?
That's because "these kids today... " is repeated so often and there are so many ways to continue when you start it with that phrase. *grin*
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You are correct. Shoulda known...
Let kids be kids. Don't expect an 8-year old to think and behave like a mature adult. Many mature adults don't even act like "mature adults". What wonderful sentiments but, unfortunately the social engineers and limp wristed looney left have denied parents the ability to do anything constructive with obstreperous kids. Kids are sharp and when they were given their charter of 'Childrens rights' it took them a mili-second to realise that it wasn't a charter at all - it was a licence! Giving kids 'rights' without the 'obligations' has lead to delinquency at a level that should never be seen in any civilised country. I don't expect an 8 year old to behave like an adult which is why I am utterly bemused when I see parents trying to reason with a kicking, screaming 'want' on two legs. We have let society destroy families and remove parental common sense controls of the way kids behave - we sowed the wind and are now reaping the whirlwind.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
We live in the age of political correctness, no doubt. The needs and wants and feelings of the few are trying to override those of the many. Equal footing is one thing. Overriding is another.
Some good points. I prefer to reason with my kids rather than force them to do things they don't want to do. Nobody likes to do things without a proper logical reason. I know I don't.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thank you Keith, for your comments.
When kid see their parents drinking coffee, while walking through the grocery store, what are the kids to do? Suck their thumb! Parents are the offenders as they should be the example. Don't drive or walk while eating,texting or talking on the cell phone! It could cause your childs death.
Thank you for sharing, Jim.
Best wishes.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thanks, Frederick, for your comments.You are correct.
The copyright for this content entitled "These Kids Today" has been specified by the contributor as:
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Details 
This content may be copied, distributed, and modified, as long as a) the original author is acknowledged with a link back to the content page, and b) if the work is modified, the result is distributed with this same license.
If you use this content according to the license specified, you must link to the following URL:
http://jimvigh.qondio.com/
|
|
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
