When our grandparents returned from World War II they wanted to start families and protect their children from what they had to face. They endured terrible economic hardships and seen the worst of humanity and would do anything they could to keep their children from it. They returned home, bought homes, had families and children. It was the most prosperous time in this country's history.
Their children grew up to become the greediest, most self serving generation in this world's history. They took advantage of the prosperity to collect weath and kicked away the ladder, placing restrictions on any they want the same.
They used natural resources frivilously, leaving little for those that come after them.
While condemning the next generation for their permissiveness the acceptance of infidelity has become widespread and the rate of divorce has skyrocketed.
Drugs have been vilified. Why should their kids experiment as they did.? It may influence them to question and protest as they did.
Painting themselves as the martyrlike benefactors while condemning their kids, they shake their heads as their discontent, never realizing how they path they took has been ruptured in their wake.
Our society has become incredibly shallow and materialistic due to the oversaturation of advertising and oneupmanship that has been propagated wherever we look. Spoiled and coddled themselves, the baby boomers find themselves depressed, miserable and discontent as adults, a trait they pass on to their children.
Instant gratification has become the norm and they medicate themselves with over the counter narcotics then prescribe the same treatment the children.
Young children, not yet old enough to drive a car, go through puberty with the help of Luvox and Prozac, unable to learn from themselves. Their teachers and parents, saddled with rage, depression and alcoholism see them as just another problem child with permissive parents.
The child, unable to find relief in anything, is turned away wherever he goes. His parents, too caught up with themselves and the idea of their happy, placid son, never see what is really happening.

Confused, scared, and hurt, this happens




and it is blamed on this



and this



The metal band GWAR once appeared on the Jerry Springer show on an episode about the influence of music on children. A mother, her own son a huge fan of the band, was there to confront them. I'm sure the audience and the mother expected them to act like uncivilized beasts, much like the characters they play on stage. When she criticized them for promoting such behavior from children she was instead met with sensible reasoning. It is an outlet, she was told, and a healthy one at that. They "promote" clean, non aggressive fun. No one has ever been killed at a GWAR show. Most people leave very happy, if not a little sweaty. They're your kids, he said, you should watch over them and know them better and not blame his problems on musicians that have no contact with them.

My point: Take responsibility for your own kids and stop trying to find the easy way out.

As much as they'd like to disbelieve it, parents have the most influence on their children.

Dedicated to Eric Harris (4/20/99), Dylan Klebold (4/20/99), Kipland Kinkel, and any kid that never got to tell their side.