Easter Eve Musing...

I wrote this in response to someone's Facebook post regarding parenting and our children's values. In light of the holy season, Easter, Ramadan and Passover, ironically or not, all happening or colliding at once, it seems a good moment for reflection of this topic. Below is an embellished version of what I wrote.

It's funny you should post this. Just yesterday we were talking about Easter,  church, morals, values and things of that nature. I'm not an organized religion person at all, but I do question, when we abandon the church, what do we replace it with to teach our children what's right and what's wrong, that there is responsibility for what you do,  consequences for what you do, manners, that we should have compassion, care, and concern for others?

I don't know if or from where our kids are  getting that now that church is not at the center or core of many families. I'm not saying that it has to be the church that gives the framework for these things but from  somewhere it has to happen. While solely leaving such instruction to religious leaders or to school instructors was never the right thing to do  absent strong parental oversight to ensure our agreement with said teachings to our children, I am critical that parents/families are no longer stepping up to meet this task.

Maybe because in our zest to raise our  children differently than our parents raised us and to  give them more than we had as children because we can afford to or because we have been brainwashed or conditioned to believe that to do so is a sign of success, only to find in the end that what our parents were doing, and what our grandparents did, wasn't all bad after all. We've thrown out much of the "good" with the bad. It seems clear that some stuff we should have kept in place.

Teaching our children, or living by example modeling the very basic principles of good behavior or the value of being a good person, I think, have been abandoned. I don't recognize and often find myself not very much liking the behaviors, attitudes and responses of our younger generations. When they are children, I look at their parents.

We have a social problem that has only been exacerbated by the impact of COVID. Isolation of very young children in their formative years where, as a matter of practice, they learn social skills cannot have good results. No way... 

Telling our children they are all winners who never lose, modeling or creating obsession with "bling" as king, cannot end well...

I could go on, but back to the basic question. In our abandonment of  organizations of religion where presumably, children are sure to be taught at least the basic principles of humanity, where, when, how, by whom and with what do we replace teaching our children such basic, but very important, fundamentals of life?, a non-parent looking at us all through clear, not rose colored nor judgmental glasses,  respectfully asks.

As a society, what are we doing and how do we expect this will end? Do we even care? Better still, am I just getting old and intolerant of new,  longing for old or wanting to stop or turn back time for selfish reasons (smile)? Is what I ponder merely echoing lament expected of fading  generations going or gone by? Perhaps so... I'll accept that. 

What say ye'? Any thoughts? Do share...

Thank you for indulging my early morning Easter Eve rant...