When I was a child, I believe the world was a better place because it seemed that adults of my grandparents’ welcomed and provided for the lives of children. In the town where I grew up, there were parks, playgrounds, sports fields, recreational activies for children and, most importantly, sidewalks. I could ride my bike or walk, at age 7, from my house down four streets to get to the local 7-11 by myself to buy a Slurpee and baseball cards. The streets were a playground for kids in the neighborhood, and adults drove slowly allowing for kids to move off the street as they passed through.
Today, as I watch the activity of my parents’ generation, I feel that they are building a world that does not welcome children. In the town where I live, there isn’t much for children to do. The town isn’t designed for children to live safely here. A giant city project just funded the construction of a “Senior Activity Center” to give elderly people a place to play. It replaced a place where we used to gather every 4th of July to watch fireworks. Meanwhile, the schools in town are among the worst in the state, and they receive little attention.
In our church, there used to be a “cry room” for mothers with young children. Now, that room has been turned into a storage space and women are left to try and manage little ones in the midst of the large sanctuary. We can say “children are welcome here”, but we don’t do things that make them feel welcome.
The internet, social media and modern communication certainly don’t seem to have the interests of children in view.
It doesn’t seem that we are building or even maintaining a world where children are welcome.
Comments are closed.