By Mary Murphy

Have we become cowardice as parents and grandparents, when it comes to saying no to children and teenagers?

When it comes to church, we seem to have lost a lot in translation. Have we forgotten why we  come to church? No one seems to care what their neighbor does when they sit next to them.

Have we become so complacent in our lives that whatever a child does is fine? When do we draw the line?

Ushers have gotten tired of doing the job that parents and grandparents should be doing, because adults have lost control. They have a problem with you doing their job.

In the house of the Lord, we are content with computer games while trying to hear a word from the Lord being translated by the minister.

Many people have stopped coming to church because of disobedient children. It is not the fault of the little ones if they are not taught to behave. Discipline starts at home.

Young people have a hard time focusing on a job. I went to two fast food restaurants. One was on the main highway. The other off the interstate. The first young lady was inconsiderate. The second was living in outer space. After coming into her reality, she asked if she could help me. I gave her the order. She seemed confused. (The manager did the order).

After the order was complete, she resumed her position of unconsciousness until a customer asked her if she was working today. Her reply was, “Yes, sir”. His reply was, “Act like it.”

Have we gotten so busy that time spent with the children of our future have become so unimportant that we cannot see the struggle that most young people are blazing through.

Many young people will be graduating soon but to their surprise, many are not sure which door to open because they are afraid to go through to reach the other side.

As a teenager, I did a lot of babysitting in my neighborhood with children who had many issues. They had fathers who worked hard to put food on the table. Mothers were lonely and distant so many of the children chose the closest person near them which was, you guessed it.

My sister would say why don’t you send them home because they were unkempt and mistreated. Working with children for many years, I saw the good, bad, and ugly.

Do not have children to satisfy someone’s need for grandchildren. Make sure it’s right for you and yours.

I worked in Mental Health for a number of years, knowing that their normal is not the happy everyday children.