James Dobson wrote an incredible piece on the plight of boys today. He believes the greatest enemy to the family today is the frantic pace of life. He writes ~
We have also considered the burgeoning crisis that confronts our boys in today’s cultural context. Working against them, by way of summary, are the breakup of families, the absence or disengagement of dads, the consequent wounding of spirits, the feminist attack on masculinity, and the postmodern culture that is twisting and warping so many of our children. If there is a common theme that connects each of these sources of difficulty, it is the frantic pace of living that has left too little time or energy for the children who look to us for the fulfillment of every need.
What it all comes down to is the lack of parental guidance in children's lives today. He brings up the issue of bullying. You hear about it a lot on the news today. It kind of surprises me. I was bullied when I was growing up, weren't you?
One time a boy kept poking a pencil in my privates. I was only in third grade at the time. My mom called his mom and told her, "If your son doesn't leave his hands off of my daughter, I am going to call the police!" My mom went to bat for me. She knew this was wrong and did something about it.
My children were bullied. I went to the principal about it. The bullies stopped immediately. My children grew up to be happy, secure adults. They had a mother at home and both parents who were actively involved in their lives. Too many children today go home to empty homes or to parents who are too exhausted to tell them of their worth and do something about the bullies.
This article has so many incredible points that it may take several posts to delve into them. I encourage all of you to read it HERE but his main point is that parents need to weed out the things in their lives that are taking time away from raising their children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. He thinks two career families is destructive to the family, something that I write about all the time. We need to pursue godliness over materialism, no matter what sacrifices we may have to make.
You shall teach them to your sons,
talking of them when you sit in your house
and when you walk along the road
and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Deuteronomy 11:19
