Scoutmaster minutes - part 2

Here's the second item I found - a letter from a girl relating
the importance of proper parenting - - this could fall under
"obedient" - or even be directed to the adults in the
audience.

YiS,
John Economides

---------------------------------------------------------
GOOD PARENTING IS VITAL

Melanie Finch.

CHICAGO
When I was growing up I was exposed to violent movies. I played
my share of video games (my dad owned a video arcade). I listened
to bad music. I was alienated, an outcast, sometimes a loner. I was
the first person on my block to learn how to operate a computer, long
before they offered classes for the purpose in my school. I knew how
to navigate the Internet.
So how come I'm still alive and I have never committed a violent act
against another living being?
Because if I locked myself into my room without coming out, a parent
came in and asked, "What's wrong?" Because if I tried to bring anything
into the house under a cloak of deception, a parent wanted to know,
"What's that?" Because if I had friends come over and we scurried up to
my room to talk, commiserate or brood, a parent caught up with us and
demanded to know, "Who's this?" Even when I was old enough to work
and bring in a paycheck of my own, a parent stepped in as financial
adviser and inquired, "How is this money to be spent?" And when it
came time to amuse myself with any and all forms of entertainment,
be it music or cable television or movies or computer games, a parent
was there to ask me, "Why these?"
I think there has to be a change. But not where everyone else's finger
is pointing. For me the last straw is with the people who insist on having
babies yet refuse to be parents. Whether it's in the poverty-stricken
streets of the urban nightmare or in middle-class suburbia, there ought
to be a law made to prevent certain people from having kids.
There are some people out there who think that the only big challenge
to face when having children is making the choice as to who is going to
be responsible for them. First it's the day care--the nanny or the au pair.
Then it's the kindergarten teacher. Then real school starts and guess
who takes care of the kid when the school day ends? The television,
the video games, the cable that wait in a home that lacks a living,
breathing parent.
Suddenly that kid is a teenager. And you know who's responsible for
him or her when they do something vicious and terrible? Charlton Heston.
The NRA. Hollywood. Jerry Springer. Marilyn Manson. Sega. The Internet.
When I was in high school, a popular rapper was named E-Z E. When
I brought the CD into my home and played a song or two, there was a
living, breathing parent there to ask me, "Why in the world do you listen
to this?" I thought about it. Other than it was "cool," that everyone else
was listening to it, I didn't have a real answer. My parent pointed out that
the lyrics were gross and the music didn't even sound good.
That's how it was for me. I bought the music, played the games, watched
the programs, saw the movies. But there was always a parent pointing out
the flaws while understanding my appreciation. And, of course, there was
always a parent to suggest other music, other games, other movies and
other television.
Out of all of it, I liked their book choices the best.

Copyright Chicago Tribune

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