The five of us kids grew up in rural Pennsylvania. The nearest town was nearly 10 miles away. When we were not working on the farm, we explored the woods making huts and catching the small brook trout that lived in the streams that passed through the valley. Our nearest neighbor lived a half mile away. My parents never worried about where we were as long as we were back for dinner.
Every school morning we walked nearly a mile to the bus stop and then rode the bus for about 45 minutes to school. In each of the 1-6 Grades, there were two classes of 35 students each. We had a 2-15 minute recess and an hour for lunch every day. Two of our teachers supervised over 400 children. Our playground was about 80 acres of open space we quickly made into soccer and ball fields. Just down the street was a community park with swings, slides and other kid propelled rides.
After school on some days, we went to scouts or little league baseball depending on the season. We then walked through town to Grandma’s house to spend the night or to wait for Mom or Dad to pick us up. We were 6-12 years old during all of those years.
As children, our parents taught us to trust the adults in our lives. Mr. Newhart, the bus driver, our teachers, the people in town, the single police man, our scout leaders and coaches. Most of the men in the community also were volunteer firemen. There were “tons” of people looking out for our family and all the other kids in the community. I think we children were protected because all of the people in the community cared about the children in the community.
What a difference 50 years makes. Does anyone let their children walk over a few blocks to school without an adult? No one I know. Can you trust your child to stay after school with a teacher? Look at the scout leaders and coaches who have been implicated in child abuses or actual sex with a child. Religious leaders are not even exempt from abuses. We can still count on the police and firemen though can’t we?
The activities in Madison, Wisconsin these past weeks should put the fear of God into every parent in the country. How can a respectable parent allow any of those teachers we saw on TV teach our children? We were taught that public property belonged to everyone. No one had to pick up paper in our park. No one littered. No one spray painted buildings or broke building windows on purpose. Nearly everyone in the community was a role models for us. (Well, there was one father who spent a few nights at the VFW drinking more than soda pop.)
Our elected officials were respected and addressed as Honorable. We would have been appalled if our teachers and neighbors threatened the safety of our elected officials. Even more so, our police and firemen would never have allowed such behavior in our community. Now the police and firemen who are supposed to protect us are allowing and in some cases joining those who are making threats.
So, who can we trust with our children anymore? Who can we trust to set an ethical and moral example for our children? There were “tons” of people looking out for our family and all the other kids in the community. Mrs. Hartman, scout leader, 4-H leader, Sunday School Teacher and neighbor passed on years ago with no one to replace her. Can a parent raise children to be respectable citizens when those who should be role models are no longer respectable?
The Tea Party Movement wants to take back America. This has been defined by lefties as going back to the June and Ward Cleaver life of early television. Others think this is a racist movement. The truth is that no one wants to return to the 50s. Responsible people want a responsible government and responsible people working in the government. Parents for the most part do as much as they can to raise responsible kids who will be responsible citizens. Others influence their children for more hours in a day than working parents. It isn’t asking too much that those we elect or hire to run our governments do more than “just do their job”. Taking back America means that everyone takes responsibility for their own actions and set examples for our children that molds them into ethical and moral citizens.
Randy recently retired from the Army with the rank of Colonel. His military specialty was environmental science and civil affairs. Randy has completed his doctorate of management and has become involved in local politics.