I didn’t raise kids, although we had custody of a stepdaughter for 3 years. She was independent, she was smart, she was street savvy. That was all good since her mother left her on her own so much from age 4 until we got her at age 10.  I had insights this year about why the new generation is like they are. Many of them have had to raise themselves. Many of them are under-educated and emotionally over-charged.  A friend has two children she’s left unattended overnight all year long as she spends nights at her boyfriend’s. They are used to raising themselves. Their home schooling leaves them unprepared and under-socialized, their peers and role models are on tv.  Each is emotionally halted at about age 10.

Their mother is so self absorbed that I know she doesn’t see it. This is not something she would do with the purposeful intent to hinder them. It’s like on the witness stand, the driver shouts, “I did not see him in the intersection!” and of course he did not, he would not run down someone on purpose. But we can all get so self absorbed that we don’t notice what we don’t notice.  I’m no different. So I wondered if a parents’ indifference and lack of involvement lead the child to become more self sufficient or does it weaken them?  If they are being raised by the tv, do the shows they watch empower them to curiosity and independence, or do they show them a world where everyone needs to battle and compete to survive? What determines what kind of world they expect to encounter, whether they should step out in a defensive posture or expect to be welcomed with open arms by a loving world family? Do they know the enormous power of choice?