Readings

For the sake of our children

A television “news” story recently featured several young mothers explaining for the appreciative camera how they chose just the right automobile for their family’s wellbeing. One of them offered this summary assessment of her criteria: “My kids rule the roost, so whatever keeps them happy keeps me happy.” In too many places, this is both true and sad. Narcissism doesn’t exactly sit well as a “Christian character trait.”

Observers of contemporary culture have noted that providing for the supposed happiness of their children drives many of the lifestyle decisions of parents. In many cases – see the example above – “happiness” is a loose set of hopes gathered around “fun” or “pleasure” like bored kids gathering on a late night street corner. Perhaps too many parents buy what kids want; too many kids may know exactly what they want—helped by friendly advertisers—and too many kids may know how to get their parents to give them exactly what they want.

Given the spread of this parental motivation into almost every corner of society, we may well ask, “Should children’s ‘happiness’ be the basis for our economic decisions, and thus one of the driving forces that drives the economies of  the rest of the world?”

Think how “parents seeking to please their children” might work in your life or the lives of people around you. Answer questions like these:

• How much of “whatever they want” do children actually get?
• How do the children around you persuade (or not try to persuade) their parents’ purchases?
• How much expendable income do the children around you have on hand at any given moment?
• How are the parents who you know teaching their children the value of hard work, the meaning of kindness or humility, the difference between “wants” and “needs”, the place of saving and giving in a world of spending?

Unless parents act like adults, the children of this country will certainly grow up as narcissists, eventually disdained or resented by people around the world who are poor. We don’t need another Me Generation if the world is to survive.

So how are you doing, trying to be an adult for your children? How are you combating television’s aggressive training towards instant gratification? How are you teaching your children the meaning of grace, love, generosity, altruism? How are your children learning about the world beyond their need for happiness?

If these questions are hard to answer, good! You have a challenge in front of you, and God’s forgiving hand will help you along. If you’re already working to combat childhood consumerism, good!  There are some others folks who could use you as a teacher.

And wouldn’t that be a happy thing to do?