What
we should do is send them
home to their computers.
They can study any subject
online, can’t they? Why
take the risk, with all
those violent children
at
school?
They
can Instant Message their
teachers, Google their
research, and turn in
their homework without
ever darkening the door
of the school or dealing
with dangerous peers.
Let
the Internet be their
teacher. It’s an environment
free of danger and violence,
isn’t it?
For
recess, protect them from
the dangerous outdoors.
Instead, let them watch
TV, play video games,
or listen to their I‑Pods.
After all, aren’t these
violence‑free zones?
Rather than face the scary
world of tether ball and
kick ball, let’s trust
them to the safety of
earphones and video screens.
If
only I were just kidding.
It never ceases to amaze
me how often, in the picturesque
words of Jesus, we “strain
at gnats and swallow camels,”
(Matthew 23:24).
We
serve our children a media
feast of sex and violence,
and are shocked when they
act on these fantasies.
We balk at offering moral
instruction at school
and are appalled when
our kids have few moral
boundaries. We entrust
the care of our young
children to paid providers
and are surprised to find
our kids insecure and
maladjusted. We fail to
enforce respectfulness
at home and wonder why
it’s ignored in the classroom
and on the playground.
Then
we propose solutions which
address symptoms rather
than the roots of the
problem. More often than
not, we enact rules which
only exacerbate the problem.
Like
eliminating tag from the
school playground. Yes,
kids can get hurt playing
tag and kickball. Tag
does not create violence;
in fact, it defuses it
by giving kids an outlet
to divert their energies.
Besides, it’s fun! What’s
so bad about that?
I
remember pushing a girl
down in third grade. She
had kicked the ball and
was so shocked she forgot
to run. “Go,” I said,
pushing her from behind.
She fell, tore her white
tights, skinned her knees,
and I got in trouble.
She got over it, I got
over it, everyone got
over it. It’s part of
growing up.
But
not anymore, I guess.
Now we’ll protect our
kids from the potential
of violent contact through
rough games. We’ll let
them play “Halo” instead.
