Where did all the children go?

What happened? Where did all the kids go? You know, the ones who use to play outside and were curious about the world. The ones who used their imagination to dream of far away lands with dragons and knights in the woods of their own back yards? The ones yelling, playing kickball, laughing and smiling at each other.... where did they go?

I think they forgot.. forgot what it was like to stop for a moment...put down the phones... go outside... breathe in the fresh, crisp air and stare at the world with wonderment.  We (the 70's/80s kids) have forgotten.....WE have forgotten what it is like to just 'be' a kid.

How can we expect our children to do the same when we ourselves, don't set the example. We are so stressed out, overworked, overburdened and overwhelmed that instead of turning everything off, sharing quality moments with our kids as we walk around and absorb the world, we give them things to tune out instead. Then we go ahead and label them as lazy, unmotivated, introverted, shy and call them the entitled generation... etc. We start to blame the world, the economy, schools, government, food and everything else before we turn that finger around and point it at ourselves.

Our children are only in our lives for a short time and then they grow up. It is our responsibility to guide them to be a contributing member of society. To get along and survive in a world that can seem cold and cruel at times and yet can be beautiful, amazing and full of endless possibilities.  It is our job to provide them with tools and strategies to navigate through the ups and downs and let it be known that giving back and inspiring others is what makes the world go around, and happiness is always achievable.

Our hearts are in the right place, but are actions speak otherwise. The good news is that there is always time to turn things around.  They say that kids today are so disconnected from their families, environment and themselves because they have been handed an electronic and a false sense of security. I have also heard the saying that we should be providing our kids with the correct information. Think about it... who is the better salesman?... YOU or the drug dealer. If they don't hear it from you, there is always someone out there that will be happy to tell and sell them what they need.
Spending 20 minutes of quality time with them per day is all it takes for them to feel safe, connected and loved in a world that (thanks to the media) has scared them from taking risks. Our children are crying out to be noticed and are desperately seeking our approval and love. They deserve that much and speaking positive and uplifting words such as "I am proud of you" or "great job today doing___" can do wonders instead of "lazy, good for nothing, slob" and other demeaning labels.

Isn't it time, we stop blaming others and stop labeling them.  We are responsible, and they are our responsibility. It's time to put down our phones and be there for them and just listen..

Special thanks to Inspired Heather Paris who let me guest blog this article on http://inspiredwednesdays.blogspot.com/