Prescription for a TRUE generation (NEW)

A one time late night infomercial Diva used to say; “Stop the insanity!” Of course I must agree. Yet before any meaningful progress can be made stopping the insanity we must identify its very roots. Its no accident that I chose those words from Susan Powter, as they came to me via one of the very tools of distraction which must clearly be seen as one of the root problems we as a society face.

Each day, with as little effort as a touch of your finger a screen lights up – Sometimes in black and white, sometimes in colour – Almost always a distraction with relatively few exceptions save those nuggets of wisdom – Jewels of education that seek to inform and incite. The rest of the time your children and mine sit in front of a screen which often times has become a very dangerous surrogate parent.

For hours on end, care of the stupefying technological advance of the last century, our children sit before the television bombarded by images they can’t possibly understand: Perfectly crafted messages inspiring a new breed of consumption. Confronted by sex and drugs at every turn is it any wonder that our children are having children.
By giving the television this kind of dominion over your children and relegating yourself to third tier caregiver why are you surprised when your 13 year old son or daughter (in the brief time away from TV) are mimicking the things they see? Pregnant? Drunk? High? Violent or dead?

This started long ago, when you put your child down to watch Sesame Street or Romper Room, Barney or the Teletubbies to buy you a few minutes so you could do something else. You teach them that the TV is their friend in essence. One that would never leave them alone – Unlike you!

Now see, this wouldn’t be so bad if from your office now that your child is off at school you didn’t blame the television for the ways your child has developed. Every time the principal calls to let you know they’ve found a gun in their locker, or were in a fight, or were stoned – Only then after letting your child’s development come at the flick of a remote for the most important years of their mental growth do you try to intervene. Too late! You’ve lost that battle.

So now that your child is getting older and you sense the need to get involved you try to analyze, to get inside your child’s head so once again you relegate that duty to a doctor, a shrink, a head doctor, a psychiatrist or psychologist and your not at all surprised when the doctor says it’s A.D.D. or obsessive compulsive disorder, manic depression or any other gamut of mental diagnosis that could be. But you are assured that there are dozens of ways to aid your child – Therapy or Medication. Therapy is a good start, at least there’s some talking involved, but, more often than not, the children, your children, fall into another distraction – The medication trap. The doctor says Prozac or Paxil and you agree, Luvox or Cylexa and you ask if the doctors sure – Perhaps Zoloft or Xanax they suggest while inside your mind you curse professing you did your best.


But did you?

It seems that the parental role has been diminished by distracted parents creating distracted kids who pay the price and I’m here to say that price is too high and the suffering must stop: Collectively. So forget the television for a moment its not its producers fault – Forget about schools and doctors and all the other distractions paying careful attention to this prescriptions for action to take back a true generation.

From birth, do you remember the first time you locked eyes with your child? That little boy or girl is like a sponge waiting for the water of life that you will give it. Your child will learn to speak, to read, to write – What will you do with them tonight? Perhaps one show, but then no more, show them a book which will open the door. Embrace your child’s passion and give them a way to celebrate each day. Teach them to love, learning to decipher relative truth, this is the way to save our youth.

Show them love, caring and support and let them know your there for them. Teach them to ask question, to be as inquisitive as they were when your eyes met their the first time. Let them know that failure and that its okay but its important to get back up and face the day.

Read with them, write with them, laugh with them, cry with them and make sure you play too. Be a parent and a friend; Parent first, friend next.

We, this generation, gathered here today, if we can ease the distraction and be the parents we’re all capable of being with this prescription a new generation we’ll see: True!