Thought I forgot about this one didn’t you? Careful, that might mean you have a short attention span—a sure sign you’re an A.I. kid!
Anyway, it was a week and a half ago that I wrote the second part to this series so you’ll need to go here and here in order to catch up. It’s okay, I’m in no hurry, and, as usual, I’ll wait…
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Ready?
Cool.
See the problem? We’ve created an entire generation of “American idol” kids. We focus so much on protecting their precious, fragile little egos that we don’t even notice when they leave the atmosphere of planet reality. And one place to see this in all its depressing, dramatic glory is to watch the American Idol auditions. About half the contestants (and I’m only referring to the ones they actually show. In reality the level is probably closer to 90%) are absolutely atrocious. I’m talking horrendous. They couldn’t carry a tune it it was strapped to their back. And yet…
They honestly believe they can make it—and not only make it, but win! They believe anything or anyone standing in their way is deaf, dumb and blind to their obvious talent. If you don’t believe me, just go online and watch as they berate the judges (especially Simon) when they hand them what is undoubtedly their first ever exposure to truth. And in the immortal words of Jack Nicholson,
They can’t handle the truth! Or, perhaps closer to home, Their parents can’t handle the truth. Either way, the kids react to their exposure to it much the same as Superman reacts when exposed to Kryptonite.
That much is obvious. Because once they hear it they melt down in one of several ways.
- They cry
- They let rip a stream of profanities
- They beg for another chance
- They refuse to leave
And man, is it embarrassing!
And hilarious.
But it is also sad. Because most of them never realize that people are laughing at them—not with them.
How in the world can parents possibly believe that they are helping their children by lying to them?
Hey parents? There’s a better way. Why don’t you try being their parent instead of their BFF (that’s Best Friend Forever – Come on, get with it.)? God gives parents the responsibility of training up our children in the ways of the Lord so that they will be fully equipped to go forward and follow Him in righteousness on their own. That would be a great start to preparing them to live life as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. And there’s another thing you should do too.
Be real.
Be authentic.
They know we have flaws. They know (believe me, they know) we aren’t perfect. And they’re okay with that. Oh, and one more thing.
Let them know you love them—often. These basic things far outstrip the naive gestures of buying them anything they want, trying to be their best friend instead of the best parent, and convincing them they are God’s gift to the world in every area of life. Honestly, all of that ought to fall under the category of child abuse.
For goodness sake, just be real with them. How hard is this? And I’m telling you, if you’re not real and you chose to go the route of the Hiltons (proud parents of
If you expect form yourself that which you expect from your children, you’ll all pass this test! Be the person you want your child to become. We reach what we know, but we reproduce who we are.
Nough said!