Re: Letters, May 18, “We’ve forgotten our free and lovely land”
I am so tired of hearing older people slamming our youth and our parenting. It’s so interesting that these commentaries almost always come from people with no children or people who had their children long ago.
As a parent and a B.C. elementary school teacher, let me assure you, children are out in nature. In fact, many of them are cleaning it up for you all. Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Earth Day, Salmon in the Classroom, Nature Kids BC, composting and recycling are all some of the many concepts that did not exist in “the good old days.”
Sure, our kids may not be out alone in our parks unsupervised and wreaking havoc, but instead they are probably on family hikes up Sumas Mountain or out by Hayward Lake having family time.
My kids spend more family time with my husband and me than we ever did with our parents.
My kids know they are protected and loved and our family bond provides them a platform to jump from but always come back to.
Do you realize Canada’s child abduction rate and missing children rate has gone down 30 per cent since 1987? Or teen pregnancy has declined 40 per cent since 1995? What about the overall crime rate? Well, Stats Can says it’s back to the level of 1972. Ask my 10-year-old if he wants to try a cigarette and he’ll laugh and say, “Do you think I want lung cancer?” I’d say Gen X and Gen Y parents are doing a wicked-awesome job.
So why are all the rates declining? Partly because we now teach sexual abuse awareness, domestic violence awareness, stranger danger, substance abuse, and mental health strategies in B.C. public schools starting in kindergarten. Yes, some may think that’s sad, but I feel it’s empowering. It’s one of my most rewarding items to teach, actually. These conversations are taking place in the homes, too. No subjects are off limits for Gen X and Gen Y.
I am excited to see what my children’s generation produces and I have utmost faith that it will be mind-blowing. In my opinion, they are lucky and blessed to be growing up in such a thriving time in human history.
Erica Tjart
