The article of opinion I am referring to is found here:
Ms. Stepp states that youth are doing better on every line but one. Less teenage pregnancy, less drinking and driving, less smoking, less firearm related deaths, less suicides, but today's kids are fatter. "A lot fatter" states Stepp.
But ask anyone over 40, she says, and they will by majority state that today's youth are NOT doing better. Stepp states kids wonder why parents don't pay any attention to them unless they get in trouble. I can surely attest to that. One of the older youth stopped by for a visit one night and i asked him if he'd like to stay for supper. He said sure. I told him he better call his parents first. He said, "They don't care...as long as I stay out of trouble they really don't care what I do." Sad.
Stepp says it is about time we start catching kids doing right! How many of us would say "AMEN!" to that? Stepp barks, "Isn't it time we shifted our focus to what the older youth are doing right and encourage them to continue?" I would agree.
Stepp ends with these points:
1. If teens are doing better, then many parents must be doing something right.
2. Let's help parents understand this
3. Let's remind parents that their influence has not been lost to peers/popular culture
4. The kids are all right and getting better.
Hmmm. A few thoughts of my own on this so far.
1. The kids I know may not be drinking and driving, but they are still drinking and doing drugs (no mention of that being statistically down)
2. Although teenage pregnancy may be less, that doesn't mean kids aren't having sex
3. Kids may have learned how to be better at getting what they want without getting caught
4. Sin will always be a problem. Stifle it in one area, it will emerge in another.
So that could be a viable question: If these areas of monitored behaviors have decreased, what unmonitored (new?) areas are emerging? What are the new outlets kids are involving themselves with? I hope it is with things like I read in another article recently = summer jobs!
http://www.youthspecialties.com/blog/summer-jobs-for-students/
Ms. Stepp states that youth are doing better on every line but one. Less teenage pregnancy, less drinking and driving, less smoking, less firearm related deaths, less suicides, but today's kids are fatter. "A lot fatter" states Stepp.
But ask anyone over 40, she says, and they will by majority state that today's youth are NOT doing better. Stepp states kids wonder why parents don't pay any attention to them unless they get in trouble. I can surely attest to that. One of the older youth stopped by for a visit one night and i asked him if he'd like to stay for supper. He said sure. I told him he better call his parents first. He said, "They don't care...as long as I stay out of trouble they really don't care what I do." Sad.
Stepp says it is about time we start catching kids doing right! How many of us would say "AMEN!" to that? Stepp barks, "Isn't it time we shifted our focus to what the older youth are doing right and encourage them to continue?" I would agree.
Stepp ends with these points:
1. If teens are doing better, then many parents must be doing something right.
2. Let's help parents understand this
3. Let's remind parents that their influence has not been lost to peers/popular culture
4. The kids are all right and getting better.
Hmmm. A few thoughts of my own on this so far.
1. The kids I know may not be drinking and driving, but they are still drinking and doing drugs (no mention of that being statistically down)
2. Although teenage pregnancy may be less, that doesn't mean kids aren't having sex
3. Kids may have learned how to be better at getting what they want without getting caught
4. Sin will always be a problem. Stifle it in one area, it will emerge in another.
So that could be a viable question: If these areas of monitored behaviors have decreased, what unmonitored (new?) areas are emerging? What are the new outlets kids are involving themselves with? I hope it is with things like I read in another article recently = summer jobs!
http://www.youthspecialties.com/blog/summer-jobs-for-students/