This might sound like a loaded question, but I am absolutely in earnest. WHY do people-- society in general-- hate children? Why is pregnancy furiously avoided, even among the happily married and the highly religious? Why are large families the subject of jokes? Why do so many mothers sigh with relief and delight when they send their children off to school? Why do parents count down the days until summer vacation ends?Do we have the courage to ask ourselves WHY???
Here's some possible answers I've come up with:
1) The Media-- Every day we are sold the idea that children are messy, annoying, and take away the freedom of adults. In a society as media-soaked as ours, is it any wonder that so many have bought into these ideas?
2) The Public School System-- Very few parents spend any real amount of time with their children. They spend five short years raising a baby/toddler/preschooler, and then they send the child off into the world to be raised and taught by strangers. No wonder they don't know "what to do with" Junior when he's home every day for a few months in the summer. Parents and children simply don't know each other!
3) The Decision of Roe vs. Wade-- When babies are often considered inconveniences to be "removed," why would society value the ones who survive to become children? Kids are just lucky to be alive, right?
4) The Peter Pan Syndrome-- So many "adults" today are still behaving like children, themselves. They don't want to be "tied down" with responsibilities. They want to be "free" to pursue the hobbies, entertainment, activities, vacations, possessions and pleasures they desire. And what is human life when compared to these things?
I realize that this article has the potential to rankle a few people, but let's all just pause for a moment, and really think about the messages we are sending to the next generation.
Do they feel wanted, loved, and appreciated? Are they likely to want children of their own someday?
Will future generations even EXIST?
Just think about it.
