Where have all the Children Gone?

I am worried that this culture sidelines its youth, having no real function for kids between the ages of eight and sixteen or so. They do not contribute to the overall welfare of the family in an appreciable way, are not learning the skills of their parents, do not apprentice, and — in their limbo — are ending up spending hours playing games on the internet or chatting away with people they don't know, gaining only a thin perception of personal worth in this manner.

This culture offers (the boys) Modern Warfare, Call of Duty 4.

This is a very eerie and realistic game in which your son or daughter spend time on very realistic missions through contemporary looking war zones, shooting very realistic looking enemies in very fast and tense exchanges.

They are taught the names of all the current weapons and the hours they spend are filled with quotes from various generals and soldiers of renown, underscoring the valor of war. Can't help but see this as a very addictive indoctrination into the fairly medieval warrior paradigm this country (and world) suffer from.

The girls get to see their older role models in fashions that a few decades ago would be limited to prostitutes. Twelve-year-olds emulate young women that are throwing their sexuality at whomever is around.

The free access to porn sites featuring every possible sort of behavior, must confound these children. Television has pulled all sorts of limits away for prime time TV so that the ethics touted as normal by popular television shows are radically "open" for lack of a better word, when compared to only a few years back.

Again, what are we promoting as normal to our children. Where are virtues taught? What bar do we set for behavior?

I don't think of myself as conservative in general. I do, however, believe that kids need a purpose in life and they need models to inspire them. With no ethical guidelines, or the bare minimum of situational ethics at best, with no real functions in life at this age beyond studying at school, and with hours devoted to games that tend to be about either violence or sex — presenting both as the most exciting aspects of life ... with no moral guidelines — I am concerned for my own kids and for their generation.

My generation perhaps broke some ground in questioning authority, questioning the means used to get to the touted ends of "freedom and the good life." It was a confusing time when kids often found themselves protesting some of their parents most deeply held beliefs or persuasions. But our kids, I think, are in even more confusing times.

I am not sure that the parents even have deeply held convictions or beliefs.

I think in general that our ethics have become very situational and very self-serving.

So, I am concerned about these kids and their future. It seems they are being milled into consumers of war, entertainment and technology and the lines between the three are vanishing.