Give me a child who...

I work with children every day.  I have three of my own.  And I am seeing some things as a Christian, a mother, a teacher, and an American that are very alarming.  For instance, it is pretty sad when the young lady working (as in employed by, actually gets an income from) the bank, cannot understand how to do a simple transaction, and return change to a customer.  The customer (who teaches 6th grade) told the employee how to do the transaction.  Or when another young lady (of voting age) asks who we are voting for on the day of the PRESIDENTIAL elections.

HOW do you get a job at a BANK, and not understand addition and subtraction?  HOW can you LIVE in the UNITED STATES, and not know we are voting for our next PRESIDENT?  I would like to say that those are extreme cases, but I'm afraid that they are closer to the norm, than the extreme.

So, I've started a list.  A list of things that I see lacking in the majority of our children today.  A list of things on which I feel that we as parents have missed the mark.  Some are very simple, some are more complex, but they are things that I feel if instilled  in our children, will allow our children to shine like lighthouses in the middle of a very stormy world.

Today, we will start with something very simple.

Give me a child who speaks when spoken to.

That's it.  Seriously, if an adult speaks to your child, and they respond, your child WILL stand out.  I know this, because I know that this is not the "norm" anymore.

I can not tell you the number of times, I have passed by students in the hallway, or children (of all ages - toddlers to teens) in other places, and said a simple, "hello," or  "good morning," or "how are you?" only to be completely ignored.  I understand that there are some children who are extremely shy, but that is not the problem in most cases.  And even a very shy child can say, "hello," or "good morning," or ,"I'm fine," without having to carry out a whole conversation.

Teach your child to respond, kindly, when an adult speaks to them.  Anything less is not polite.  Anything less makes your children (my children) blend in with the majority.

I don't want my children to blend in.  I want my children to stand out and shine as strong Christians, young people, and citizens.

Give me a child who will speak when spoken to.

And for the record, our youngest princess is still a work in progress where this is concerned.  So this is something we have to address with her from time to time.  But she does seem to be doing better.