It's a hard job, but it's our job

It's not a question that we as parents need to do our best to teach our growing children how to embrace the little traditional values that our culture has left. I was sitting on the couch one morning, half awake, half watching the morning news. On that day there was a special segment on The Average American Youth. I was not paying much attention to it until I heard the phrase, "...and we asked who the first president of the United States was, and not very many people were able to answer that...." All of a sudden that got my attention. I saw what seemed like a "poll on the streets of LA," as a reporter were pulling random people between the ages of 18-22 on some busy streets of Los Angeles. Each of them were asked a question about the United States history, and it went something like this (I am trying my best to recall each conversation:)

sample 1-
Reporter: Do you know who the first president was?
Answer: Uh...Abraham Lincoln?
R: Abraham Lincoln? How sure are you?
A: Not sure, but I think that's who it was.

Sample 2-
R: Can you name the first 4 presidents of the United States of America?
A: Uh..Abraham Lincoln...., uh..Roosevelt...um..I don't know anymore. It's too long ago.

Sample 3-
R: Do you know who the first president was?
A: No (and he didn't look ashamed, either.)
R: Do you care?
A: Nope.

Sample 4-
R: Do you know who our first president was and what did he do?
A: I think it was Abraham Lincoln and he freed the slaves.

..and yet, with the same people,
Sample 1-
R: Do you know whom Reese Whitherspoon is currently dating?
A: (without any hesitation,) Jake Gyllenhaal.

Sample 2-
R: Who is Madonna married to?
A: Guy Ritchie.

Sample 3-
R:What are the names of Brittany Spears' two sons?
A:(with a bit hesitation, I was surprised.) Sean Preston, and...um..Jayden James..?

Sample 4-
R:Heidi. Spencer. Lauren. What show is that from?
A: The Hills!

Ok. I think you got the point. I was not surprised; this survey had been conducted numerous times before that day, on many streets across the nation. What I am surprised is that we, as a nation, don't want to do anything about it. The American youth (and most of them were college students) did not know who the founding fathers of this great nation were, and yet, they can recall the first and middle names of some kids they don't even know. Yet, the media continues to influence the younger generations, with its oh-so-in-your-face approach. It's almost impossible to escape or even to cover your ears and eyes.

Well, the reason I brought this whole thing up is that I can't help but think, when Caleb and Abigail become college students, how much worse our culture would become. It's scary to know that a large number of young kids in America, who are supposed to bring bright futures for this country and the rest of the world, do not know who George Washington is. I remember one day, in one of my 2nd grade classes, we were talking about some movies, and the characters in the movie when, all of a sudden, a boy shouted, "yeah, I think she's totally hot." Who was he referring to I cannot recall. But I remember standing there, froze for a few seconds, dumbfounded. This boy was 7 years old. His use of words was the reason I later wrote a note to his mother. My point is, in a culture like ours, we cannot and should not overlook the importance of parenting. When the schools and society are not going to education our children, it is absolutely our job to do so.

Now, I am not saying we should not expose our children to the world with television and movies. I don't agree with sheltering children from the world, but I do believe it is our job to teach them how to distinguish what is important and what is not. When a child can memorize all the American presidents in a chronological order, his parents have drilled him to do so, which, in my opinion, is not necessary. On the other hand, when a child knows about Brittany Spears and all her scandalous affairs but fails to locate the USA on a world map, his parents have not done their job fully.

It is very sad, for me to see how little our children actually know about this world they live in nowadays. I don't expect Caleb to know all the capital cities of each country, nor do I want Abigail to memorize the genealogy of every leader of this generation. But I certainly hope and pray that they will grow up to be sensitive adults. Sensitive to know that although they are blessed to live in this great nation, there are Berbers who still live in stone houses, nomads who still live in tents, villagers who still walk 3 hours to work and 3 hours back everyday, and children who had to earn a living for their family starting at the age of 7. That, I believe, is entirely up to me. God has called me to be a mother. It is my responsibility do mold them into wonderful, wholesome, and knowledgeable adults.

It's a hard job, but it's our job.