I have 5 children and everyday I try to raise them to be respectful, kind, accepting human beings. I also try to raise my children for the real world. I don't shelter my children from certain realities. Some of those realities being,there is always going to be someone better than them, in school there is always going to be someone who gets a higher grade than them, in sports there is always going to be someone who gets more points than them jumps higher or hits harder than them. In life there is always someone who will be ahead of them. Some may say this sounds mean, however it is what I am trying to teach my children that I feel is important. Those people that are better than them are there to make them work harder and work to the best of their abilities! It can be a harsh reality that even though someone is better than them that doesn't mean they worked harder than them either. Sometimes some people just have natural abilities. But as long as my children always try their best and they can walk away with no regrets saying they gave it their all that is what really matters!
I was left shaking my head when it was around my boys birthday and they were told they could invite 5 friend from their class each. (Sorry I can't afford to have the whole class come. Not to mention my kid probably isn't friends with EVERY KID in class) but I digress. I asked them to bring them into school and hand them out to their 5 friends. My children looked at me in horror! "We are not allowed to bring in invitations unless we are inviting the whole class" I was informed. SERIOUSLY!? All because someone might get there feeling hurt? Why are we putting our kids in a bubble? Why must kids be protected from EVERYTHING!? How about if my child came home and said student X in class didn't invite them to their party I would tell them that's too bad maybe if your really good friends with this person we can have them over for a play date. Maybe you'll get invited to the next one.
Kids can't go out to recess and play games like tag or touch football because they can't touch each other. They can't run on the hot top because someone might fall. Since when does the world come to an end because a child gets a scraped knee? And we wonder why we are one of the most obeses countries?
Here is the thing, kids aren't stupid. My children have quickly figured out that the trophy they got in basketball, baseball etc for participation doesn't really mean that much because everyone got one. However their third place trophy that they got for forms from the karate tournament means so much more to them because they know they EARNED IT!
We wonder why drug and suicide rates are up? Because we aren't preparing children to deal with reality! We aren't teaching them to let things roll off their back? There used to be a time when teasing was teasing and although not nice it made you a better, stronger person if you were the one being teased. Now everything is bullying and a million people have to get involved! Let me be very clear I do think there are instances where bullying is real and it absolutely needs to be dealt with. But then there is some name calling or teasing every once in a while that kids need to learn to just let it go.
Let me say that I'm not blaming this in our schools. Most of these policies have been put into effect because there have been parents who have used for one thing or another. There are those parents who wish too keep their child in a bubble and in turn ruin it for everyone else. As a society political correctness has gone way too far! And in my opinion we are now raising a nation of wimps.
