The Disappearance of Childhood

A few years ago I read the book The Disappearance of Childhood by Neil Postman. Mr. Postman’s premise is that, as a society, we are increasingly exposing children to a popular culture that is hostile and damaging to them. Movies, TV shows, music, computer games and other pop influences are destroying the enchantment that childhood once held, according to Postman. What’s happening, he says, is that adults are becoming more childish in these pop pursuits and that children, with all of the “secrets” of adulthood now revealed to them in prime time, are becoming more and more exposed to things that they are not ready to know or understand. This has a detrimental effect on children’s social and moral development and it does not bode well for our society because, as Postman points out, every great culture throughout history, has eventually crumbled as children were exposed to more and more adult things.

It’s tough to be a child in today’s world and it’s even tougher to be a responsible parent. There is no question that today’s kids are being influenced by the negative forces in our society. In many cases these unhealthy influences have taken over for the lack of positive values learned at home, at church, or in school. The reasons are many and the solutions will be difficult to achieve.

Parents need to be more aware of the negative influences working on kids and take a strong stand against them. Have you listened to the music that your kids listen to? Do you know the lyrical content of the songs? Do you know what TV programs they watch and are you aware of their content? What about movies? The internet? Parents must educate themselves about these things and discuss them with their kids in regard to what is acceptable or unacceptable.

I believe that parents must find time to be with their kids - to play with them, to talk to them, and to listen to them. Parents must value what is right and teach these values to their children through their actions and their words. Children’s feelings should be acknowledged as real and important. Parents must recall from their own experiences what feelings came and went as they moved through their own childhood. They must be empathetic, yet firm in stressing the difference between right and wrong. They must be willing to take a stand. For the good of their children they must not be afraid to say no.

In conclusion, I want to add that I believe it is more important than ever before that there be a cooperative effort between the home, the school, and the church. If we work together in a truly cooperative spirit we might be able to protect childhood for our kids so that they can grow into happy, successful and positive adults who can raise their own kids in a more positive world.