Why I Fear for the Future of America

Posted on October 27, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Ashley Singh

A month ago I was at a screening for new movie that was just coming out. While I was standing in the theater, people were letting their kids run all over the lobby. Kids were literally hanging off the ropes, screaming, running, and the parents were just standing there. Some were talking to other people, but all of them weren’t paying any attention to their kids running around the theater, and when one parent did call the child, the child didn’t even listen and the person went on chatting. Ha! Not when I was a kid. When I was a kid, my parents would have a fit if I was doing what those kids were doing. I was never, ever allowed to talk back to anyone who was older than I am, even my cousin who is two years older than me. When I was a kid, we were well behaved, please and thank you were part of our daily vocabulary, and we were outside every single day until the street lights came on and even then we were begging our parents for five more minutes. Now, you’re probably thinking that I’m being too old fashioned and I need to roll with the times—it’s 2009 and kids are busy, they have more pressure put on them, and they rarely even want to go outside and play when they have things like the Wii and iPods. Seriously, that’s no excuse. I’m not saying that we should rewind the clock twenty years—just keep reading.

My friend Patricia Romano used to work in the mall. One day while she was working, a little girl came in and was asking for sunglasses, and got terribly upset when she discovered that the sunglasses she wanted didn’t fit her. Apparently, her mother has her sunglasses custom made to fit the girl’s head, who couldn’t be more than eight. Patricia said the sales lady told her that they are in the store all the time buying new things. When I asked Patricia what she thought about that, she said, “I think parents that indulge their children with expensive things are the problem in today’s society. They are allowing their children to believe that everything in life will be theirs with a little kicking and screaming. It is sad how instead of spending time with their kids, they spend money. Celebrities may have millions of dollars but spoiling their kids the way they do is not the answer. They are raising their kids with no work ethic or self-respect to believe that money solves everything.”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying your child a little something every now and then just because, and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy your kids things; but situations like what Patricia experienced are just ridiculous. Far be it from me to tell anyone how to parent, but wake up, America! It’s just like I said before, something isn’t right. I agree with Patricia that people are teaching their children gluttony and materialism, two very dangerous attributes, and I seriously fear for the future of America if things don’t change very soon. When I hear stories about children committing suicide or who are spoiled to the point of self-centeredness, I sit and I ask myself, where are you, parents?

P.S.: For the few parents who are involved in their kids’ lives and who are doing the great job of raising well-behaved, unspoiled, grateful children, I salute you.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Why I Fear for the Future of America”

  1. Brittany Emch on October 28th, 2009 5:34 pm

    Good question, Ashley. I don’t know where the parents are either. It seems they’re working more and living the ‘American Dream,’ while not being present in their child’s life. To fill the gap of time not spent together parents give in to buying their kids material objects that only make them less happy in the long run. It’s really unfortunate! Do you think it’s a matter of some parents not being present, or rather that parents don’t understand what will make their child happy?

  2. Ashley Singh on October 28th, 2009 8:00 pm

    I think parents have just decided that it takes too much effort to try to parent, instead of taking the easy way out and trying to be your kid’s best friend, practicing the whole hands-off parenting bit. Also, I think parents allow their kids more than anything to control their parents enough to make them buy them things, when all they really want is attention, not toys.

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