Adults Teach, Children Learn

However well-meant the sentiment may be that "we adults learn more from kids than we could ever teach them," it is actually harmful to children and to society. While it's true that parents especially can learn about such positive attributes as patience, unconditional love, and humility, they learn these by virtue of being parents and not directly from their children.

Children are just beginning their journey. They lack knowledge and life experiences that bring wisdom. They need boundaries, direction, and guidance. They may test us by acting out, which translates into a cry for help, this cry sounding something like, "Where is someone I can rely on to teach me what to think and feel about everything ? Where is someone to teach me the proper emotional responses to the things I see and hear around  me?"

Could it be that many modern adults haven't grown up themselves? Could it be they are stuck in the Peter Pan syndrome as a way to escape from the responsibility and accountability that comes with adulthood? Could it be that our culture worships youth, beauty,and feelings over experience, knowledge, and wisdom? Could it be that the adults of today themselves were not taught the correct emotional responses to this or that?

Or maybe the "superior wisdom of children" philosophy has invisibly seeped into our culture as a guilt-ridden throw-back from the indulged-child generation. In the midst of our great prosperity, we have spent more time being entertained, competing with the Joneses, and pursuing our own "fulfillment" than passing on values to our children. We feel guilty for giving our children too much, for not teaching them proper values, for not being good examples of the best virtues. As a way to assuage our guilt we pretend to trade places. Adults are the children, children are the adults.

What an upside-down society we have become, in whatever degree. We need to resist this trend. All adults know things kids don't. All adults have experience kids don't. Kids need leaders to follow. Kids need teachers to teach them. They are relying on us. We mustn't let them down.

The next time you are tempted to say how wonderful such and so child or teenager or group of children or teenagers is and how much you have learned from them, and how they have taught you more than you could ever teach them, stop right there and think about it. Kids are always learning from adults. Something. If they are too smart and too good for you, then who is teaching them and what is it they are learning?

Good people need to step up and do their duty to the rising generation because bad people are having their way with them. Case in point: The Utah State Education Office and our school district has approved a maturation program for our elementary schools produced by Planned Parenthood. It's subtle. It's cute. And it's all wrong. View the video on line at growningupfirst.org. 

Somebody's teaching the children. Is it you?

Check out what maturation presentation is being used this spring at your 5th grade child's school. Look for both subtle and blatant language that denigrates traditional values and misrepresents reality. Then feel free to check out our own free maturation presentations for boys and girls at standardofliberty.org. and use them in your home or present them to use in your school.