Howard - you ask how we can turn things
back, back to a time when children were safe, homes were castles, and all was
right with the world?
Short answer - We can't. Simply because we have evolved to another stage in
civilization. A stage where we believe that it takes two pay checks to support
a family in a manner that Madison Avenue tells us we should. We have come to
depend on unqualified, sometimes uncaring folks to care for our kids, in the
form of day care, and our schools. Our schools have, because of these beliefs,
changed from a learning institution, judged on the product the produce - our
children's education, to day care expected to always teach our kids right from
wrong (because most folks don't teach that any more ((present company excepted)).
We have allowed our schools to change from a pass-fail institution to a feel-good
factory, where no child is failed because of the negative impact it may have
on their future.
How to change it back? Well I would suggest that we don't need two cars in every
driveway, we don't need three televisions in a house, nor a two week cruise
on a ship every year. We don't need new furniture, when the old stuff still
works. We need to realize that money isn't the root of all happiness, not in
the least, raising a good, great, super kid is. Mom's should be encouraged to
be "stay at home mom's" at least till the kids are well into their elementary
school years. We should go back to my parents era that when the school calls
to tell us that a child has misbehaved in class we believe the teacher and punish
the child, instead of lashing out against the teacher, the principal, or the
school. School boards should stop punishing teachers for disciplining students
and throw the offending student's parents out of the meeting instead of siding
with the parents and disciplining teachers for doing what is indeed right.
Can we turn it all back? I doubt it, that door closed somewhere in the late
70's and I fear the bar is in place for a long long time.
Ok enough of a rant, I know I swore I would stop ranting and raving here in
the notebook.
Jack 7-27-2002
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