That's right, I'm human. If you cut me, I will bleed. If you shoot me, the bullets will not bounce off. I can't leap tall buildings with a single bound. I'm not faster than a speeding bullet. On some days in the remotest part of the house, in a room with the shades drawn, I even cry. I'm not a bird. I'm not a plane. But I am certainly no Superman either.
Where did we go wrong, parents? Or was it even us? The media perhaps, government, Dr. Spock, other kids, the school system? I am at a loss but somewhere along the way kids began to believe we were invincible while at the same time knowing for certain that they themselves were. I have never known a time in history when children of the United States displayed such an open disrespect for authority and parents. Have you been to a fast food place recently? What was once a paradise for aspiring teenagers to earn some extra money has turned into a living hell for just about anyone managing in this industry. Teenagers do not want to work and will quit at the rate of the new movie listings on Friday, or announcement of the latest party in town. I have all but given up on fast food places, the big McD's included, were it not for my nine-year-olds ability to talk me into going every now and then. I watch in horror as teens move with the speed of molasses in zero degree weather, roll their eyes for something as mundane as a request for ketchup, while taking no pride or interest in the job they were hired to perform. At the rate our society is going I envision 80-year-old baby boomers still working while their 50+ year old children continue to invade their house and eat their food while watching cable.
The perception of our misguided youth that everything they do is above the call of duty for us greatly destresses me. I am also extremely tired of kids jumping on the "I'm from a dysfunctional family" bandwagon to explain away everything from poor grades and school attendance, all the way to felony and murder. "Your mom and I didn't work out, so sue me." The scary part is many of them would. I'm sorry but the reality of it in America is that if you are a child or teenager alive today in the United States you are likely from a family of divorced parents or touched by someone else close to you who is. It doesn't give you an excuse to disregard the Ten Commandments, disrespect authority, or sit on your backside while someone else puts food in your stomach and a roof over your heads for the next half century.
