All Kids Are Our Kids

A friend of mine recently told me a story about a child who was causing major disruptions at school because of their "out of control" behavior.  When my friend contacted the parent to discuss the situation, the mom told her that she does not believe in disciplining her children.  Furthermore, she did not believe that other adults should be permitted to discipline or correct her children.  My friend was not quite sure what to do with that response... this was a new one!  

After our conversation, I began to wonder what happens to a society when parents don't fulfill their responsibilities?  One would think that all hope is lost if a child has bad parents, but something I read in one of my text books offered a different point of view.

In "Reclaiming Our Prodigal Sons and Daughters" Larson and Brendtro say, "We have often heard teachers and others say, 'What can we possibly do?  Look at this kid's family!'  But simply blaming the family does little good.  If the lives of troubled young people are to change, others in the community must become involved and play a role in the lives of individual children.  Nowhere is there more potential for positive influence than in faith-based programs.  They are one of the few cross-generational groups that can help rebuild a sense of community.  Nearly every segment of modern society has segregated its young from its older members.  Schools, recreational programs, entertainment centers, and even many families keep youth distanced from adults.  Traditional faith communities do not.  Churches and synagogues are not merely buildings.  Ideally, they are communities of committed people who are also potential employers, adult mentors, and positive peer groups - all things that troubled adolescents desperately need."

Churches and initiatives like LAMP play a huge role in the healthy development of children in this culture.  This is true for the obvious spiritual reasons, but I think it has a much deeper meaning.  When people of faith fail to act like people of faith, it causes tremendous problems in a society.  The age group that is most often negatively impacted by that is young people.