I had this tidbit up on another blog a long time ago, but it came back up in a conversation today and I remembered that I liked my opinion so much that I would repost it…..enjoy.
I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a perfectly logical explanation for the apparent downfall of the youth of america. Simply put, they are being coddled. In days of yore, we weren’t required to wear helmets when riding bikes, I don’t remember television shows being regarded as too violent or graphic. Or, having to basically wear a football helmet when up to bat in little league. These overly protective parents and apparently bored media have driven the masses to believe that there is famine and plague lurking in every backyard and on every sideline, bench and dugout of the all-american sports played by generations of youth. These people have obviously never witnessed many character building activities such as the ditch game or the entire catalogue of trampoline activities that would be considered far too dangerous by today’s standards. Hell, I’m not even sure if trampolines are still legal. Due to this apparent breakdown in the common sense of authority figures, we have subverted one of nature’s most effective survival rituals, the culling of the herd.
We have effectively abolished the many weed out activities that have evolved through the years with the single purpose of extracting the weak youths from society. Children that will now grow to become a drain on society, unable to complete even the most daily tasks without the aid of drugs and therapy ritualistically used to combat ADD and other such mythical syndromes. Terms such as “suck it up”, “walk it off”, and “special ed” have become atiquated and unused. It is my opinion that should we continue basking in the false sense of comfort and compassion acquired while treading this self appointed path of safety, not only will we suffer, but our offspring will also be made to suffer by being exposed to the many debilitated youths that should have been picked off by the metaphorical lioness somewhere between the age of 8 and 15.
Its funny you bring this up.Heidi and I had this discussion just the other day. It stemmed from Halloween carnivals not at schools anymore. I even asked Sammy Pope “When did parents become so lame?” His reply, “It started with the drugs of my generation, then we grew up and over sheltered due to our inadequacies.” Now it is a snowball effect. Its up to us to make a difference.