http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2001/7/14/85942/3961

I happen to really agree with this post. The problem with so many Americans these days is that they are consumed with the concept of acquiring material things. They want to acquire "Stuff" even if its at the expense of their children.

How many times have you heard someone complain how in the "good old days" only 1 parent "needed" to work to make "ends meet" yet today both are required. Often times, both parents go to work purely to maintain a standard that goes well beyond making ends meet.

In 1955, the average house size for a family of 4 was 1200 square foot. Today it's 2400 square foot -- twice as big. Typical family of 4 has 2 cars until the teenager can drive and then it goes up to 3 cars.

Then we get into how we "need" cable TV, vacations, summer camping, lots of gifts at Christmas, the latest electronic gadgets, etc. All this comes at a price -- our children.

Rather than putting our priority the human beings we *chose* to bring into this world, we put our priority into instant gratification and accumulating wealth.

And it's a real shame because the results are becoming increasingly obvious -- bad teens who are rudderless. I have neighbors whose teenaged children don't know what to do with themselves. They've never had to work for anything in their lives and are rudderless as they decide what to do for themselves. Our highschools are filled with teens who barely know their parents, have no concept of intimacy or feeling of closeness with their parents.

We naturally blame the media or video games or the Internet or the teachers because heck, we've been avoiding our parental responsibilties so long that why stop now? It's much easier to blame someone else anyway.

As a culture, we need to decide what our priorities are. Are kids essentially enhanced pets or are they an integral part of our lives?