Writing and kids just go together, don't you think? For me, working with kids of all ages has been a learning experience like no other. You never know what you're going to get from day to day. The child that's cute and lovable one day is the kid from Daddy Does Daycare, the next. And guess what? I don't blame them. Every honest adult can tell you it's not the same world we grew up in. Today's little ones are expected to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives, which college they plan to attend, what trade they plan to pursue before they've even mastered the school bus route. We push them into algebra in the fourth grade and expect them to read fluently what they won't be able to understand for years to come. They are expected to keep their noses clean long before they've even learned how to wipe their little backsides with pin-point accuracy.
You ought to know that this generation of children file into schools who are proud of their "zero tolerance" policies which incarcerate kindergartners for forgetting that hugging one another is against the rules, and using your finger to play cops and robbers at recess is a capitol offense.
Oh, and let's not forget the fact that every outdoor game and sport ever played at recess has been banned by all-knowing administrators and legislators trying to "protect" our children from themselves. And we wonder why obesity is an epidemic?
It brings to mind the title of an old, well-loved song, "Bless the Beasts and the Children," only in today's world, the beasts are getting the better part of the deal.
