Growing up I was very sheltered. I was raised in a christian home and was taught and I accepted christian beliefs. I wasn't allowed to hang out with certain people even if they were my friends. Due to their behavior or a bad vibe that my parents got. This extended to the girls I dated as well. While the girl may have been incredibly attractive, my parents could tell at a glance if she was not a right fit or had poor character. Out of respect and obedience to my parents I wouldn't date those girls. This may seem the product of overbearing parents, but I assure you that's far from the truth. They had a vested interest in my life. They took the time to pay attention to me and my surroundings when I refused to. If I wasn't obeying my parents I got licks. (That's spankings for those who aren't from Tennessee.) Now my parents didn't beat me black and blue but it was enough to get my attention and show me that my actions had consequences. Good or bad depended on my situation and how I chose to handle it.
My father taught me something when I was young that I am truly thankful to this day. "If I am the hardest boss you ever have, then I did my job." What he meant was, if I could live up to the standard that he knew I could strongly sustain, both in my personal life and my work ethic, than I could work anywhere at any job. I would have mental fortitude to handle any situation. When I left my parents house, I was educated, well mannered, strong in my reasoning and in my faith. I have been very successful and owe that to my parents.
Go out in town during the day or just pull up facebook. We praise disrespect and crave the immediate gratification. I have watched people with children and they allow them to say or do whatever they want and then ask why the child never listens? You didn't set any boundaries for them. The blatant disrespect shown to their parents. The wanton reckless abandon of other people's well being. Feelings has become the rule of public opinion. No one wants correction. God forbid you tell someone to hold themselves to a higher standard. A proper moral compass is a fading thing. Faith, not religion, is being called worthless and of a bygone age. And we ask why are our children are committing suicides at a far greater rate than our generation or our parents. Why is it so hard to find a meaningful relationship? Why is it so hard to keep or find a good paying job?
We lost the understanding of boundaries and responsibilities. Parents are supposed to raise their children to be PRODUCTIVE law abiding members of society that care about their fellow man. Parents are supposed to teach their kids about actions and consequences. Risk and reward. Instead we have let: schools, the government, and everyone BUT the parents raise our kids. We think sex is love and never learned from our parents what a relationship should look like. Parents are not telling their kids that their lives have purpose and meaning. It's "whatever you want to do honey." Children and teenagers are adults in training. If our society wants to still have a country in 30 years we better wake up and start being better parents to our kids before we lose them to suicide, political correctness, closed minds and poverty. We lost parents who cared. Lets change that.
I agree strongly with most of your ideas and think that you have good evidence to back up what you are saying because of the way you were raised. It is very important for parents to teach their children right from wrong and to continue to do so as they're growing up and not slack off once they get a certain age. I think all of your ideas are important and sound, but in your next post I think you should tell us how this ties into modern day philosophy. Whether it be ethics, or more on the religion side I think it would be good for us to see how these things can tie into philosophy and how adults can change their habits to raise better children.
ReplyDeleteThis explains why I have seen so many students playing pokemon and candy crush in class. lol They truly think they are getting away with it but I think the professors are to smart for that.
ReplyDeleteStudents who choose to sit in a classroom and ignore what's being taught and discussed are cheating themselves. Most professors are too busy trying to reach those who've come for an education to waste time policing the slackers, who'll get their comeuppance in the form of ignorance and shrunken mental horizons. But I do occasionally call out those whose disengagement becomes a distraction to the rest of us.
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DeleteIt's important for parents to set boundaries, but you can do that without hitting children. Corporal punishment may get a kid's attention but in itself it doesn't teach anything but submission to authority. Some kids take possession of themselves, after having their attention thus brought to heel. Others, though, go out and look for someone to hit in turn - usually their own children, and so the pattern continues. In the worst cases, hitters become anti-social aggressors.
ReplyDeleteBut to return to your main message: yes, we need parents who care enough to instill strong values of kindness, compassion, and personal integrity in their children. Now more than ever, as sadly-different values are modeled at the highest levels.