There is an epidemic sweeping our nation. It is the third leading cause of deaths for youths between 15 and 24 years of age in the United States.
And in many cases it is preventable!
Everyone has watched parents, in public, pull, drag, beat and berate their kids. They call them dumb, stupid, failures and make statements like, “I wish you had never been born!” I watch the other watchers who turn away so they don’t have to watch, keeping their revulsion to themselves. I hear debates on the spanking of children and hear people talk about the past.
In the past kids were loved, treasured. Each spanking was done in and for love not in a fit of rage at being “embarrassed.” Kids in the past weren’t bartered for drugs, relegated to closets, sold to pedophiles. Today’s children are tax exemptions and disposable. Teachers, all teachers, even those in Sunday Schools, are told to show no compassion, no caring, no affection towards any child because you could get sued. People are afraid to get involved.
Wake up and smell the coffee! Quit trying to raise automatons! If you want to raise a healthy, mentally well-balanced child, love is required. Children have to know they are of value, not just by parents but also by society. Quit hiding; quit ignoring child abuse in any form. Hug your kids, hug other people kids, and tell them they are all special!
The epidemic that is killing our youth isn’t suicide. Suicide is the result of the epidemic. The epidemic is apathy.
