Post after post after post of kidnappings, mass shootings, car crashes, sex trafficking and the list goes on. Raising kids is hard enough with all the social media and cyberbullying, and now to be worried that if our kid goes to the mall or to a waterpark without a gun being brought or being approached by someone that has ill intentions.
I don’t want to be super paranoid or overly protective to the point that my daughter can’t do anything, but I will be damned if I don’t wait or teach her to be conscious of her surroundings and have a little of a bad gut feeling just so she is aware. How do we teach our kids as they grow and keep hitting new milestones to be responsible and make good choices whether they are in control or just along for the ride?
I am not that old but I do find myself using more and more “back when I was younger,” but man are things so much different. Although I was not the typical girly girl, fun was just different and not such a competition. I played outside, road bikes, swam, and just hung out. The amount of distractions, comparison, and competition just weren’t there. Kids these days are worried about how many likes they get or views. It is all about what people think and how much they care.
How do we teach, advise, and even show how to make aware to our children the dangers in life and new responsibilities, such as driving, staying out late, going to friends, and going places alone? The Laws with driving and curfew are there for a reason. Not driving with friends when you first get your license so your not distracted and having to be home at a reasonable time for safety reason isn’t really that much to ask for for a short period of time, to teach them to focus and be aware of their surroundings. I remember being young and wanting to be older but now as a parent, I wish they trusted us when we say don’t be in a rush to grow up.
We watch our kids grow along with the world changing. All the new technology, newest trends, and evolving music dialect is really hard to keep up with. Everything through adult eyes of the way the world is is pretty disappointing. I don’t know how my parents did it, but we definitely aren’t living in the world our parents prepared us for.
Teaching our kids to not compare themselves, not ask for approval, and to be safe means that we have to live as an example. I know I am guilty of comparing my life to others, worrying about what other people think, and not always making the right decision in some instances. I am not perfect and I know that our kids aren’t either but it sure is hard to really know if your kids are prepared for what this world has going on.
Is there really any way to make sure our kids will be ready and knowledgable for what they might run in to these days? How do we make sure they know how to react to a crazy person opening fire in their school, mall, concert, or movie theater? How do we make sure our kids know how to react if a kid comes up to them and says they want to be their friend but really is working for a gang leader or someone wanting to sell them? These sound like ridiculous questions right, I mean listen to how sad that is. Every time I drop my daughter off at school or take her somewhere or even just drop her off at her other mom’s house I say goodbye to her and tell her how much I love her just in case something happens. Is this how our parents felt?
I will always worry, I will always want to protect, and I will always want and hope she makes the right choice and will encourage her friends to as well. Educating our kids on how to decide what feels right and what might not be the best choice is all we can do. I play a game called “Would you rather” with our little guy a lot and maybe it’s time to play that with “For instance would you rather” in real-life scenarios.
Consistently inconsistent 