Gray headed and suffering

I saw where a prosecutor in Michigan wants to introduce a new law that will allow him to put parents who fail to attend at least one parent-teacher conference for their child during the school year in jail for three days. Of course it’s creating quite a controversy and a news crew was interviewing some people on the street about it.

One man said he thought we should just spank the parents instead, because it would be cheaper than housing them in jail and feeding them. It was a tongue in cheek comment, but it seemed to zoom right over the newscaster’s head, because she was quick to point out that the ACLU would never allow that action, any more than they would the jail time.

That’s probably a correct statement and I’m sure the prosecutor knows that this bill would never pass, but nonetheless he is desperate to do something about the lackadaisical approach that many parents take towards their kids and is determined to call attention to this problem. No doubt he sees his fair share of the results of these absentee parent’s hands-off attitudes in court when he has to prosecute their neglected kids when they enter the court system.

What a shame that it has come to this.

I speak quite often and invariably afterwards someone will come up to me and quietly tell me in an embarrassed manner that one of their children has gone astray and then they ask if I would be willing to speak with their son or daughter and spend some time telling them about my experiences in the hopes that it might start them down a path toward recovery. I always say yes, but after literally hundreds and hundreds of these conversations, I can count on one hand the parents who actually followed-up and arranged for them to speak with me. Well intentioned but without action.

I spent several hours brainstorming in a meeting the other day for a new company that has a mission of improving education in America. We were discussing creating a product that would improve test scores and graduation rates, and also reduce dropout rates in schools.

We began discussing whether or not parents, (as well as school administrators and educators), would become a viable market for the company’s products. One of the attendees, who has served on a school board for many years, told us that it has been his experience that parents seemed detached when it came to their children’s education, but if we came up with something that would improve their child’s prowess in football, baseball, or basketball, then we might be on to something.

I am baffled by that attitude and later told my son that I could not even relate to that kind of thinking. My kids have always meant more to me than life itself and I’m positive that my sons feel the same way about their kids. A young person without a solid education already has two strikes against them and in this competitive world they will need every advantage they can muster. One would think that any parent would be keenly interested in pursuing every means in order to improve their child’s education and thus their chances at success.

I would guess that most parents do wish the best for their kids, but in our modern day society and culture it seems that we pursue many of the wrong priorities and too many get distracted with “me” issues instead of “them” issues as it relates to their kids and the result is inaction and neglect.

Are parents just too busy to spend time with their children? Could this in part be why our children’s test scores in the United States have drastically fallen to a point where we as a nation now rank among the lowest of any non-third world country on this planet?

Kids grow up fast and there are no second chances to be a good parent. Spend some SERIOUS TIME with your kids and grandkids and become a positive, rather than a negative impact on their future by teaching them all that you can and encouraging them to get a quality education. Educate them in spiritual matters as well as secular and you will never have regrets. Ignore them and one day when you are old and gray headed, you and they will suffer because of it

Deuteronomy 6:7

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.