As a parent, I’m weary of the parade of pre-teen superstars, turned young adults with an edge. The media seems insatiable in its need to provide the public with tragic, self-destructive tales of kids gone wrong.
I’m so saddened by the ongoing cultural seduction of our kids. Somewhere between grade school and college, we’re losing the truth battle within our kids' hearts. Kids are desperate for affirmation, for love and for acceptance. The need is most evident in their pre-teen and teen years as they seek to identify what, who, and how they are going to be, believe and act. The process can take several years and multiple wardrobe changes. Boys and girls seek to find a “place” they can fit in and be accepted. George Barna from Barna Research Group notes that kids will decide by age 13 what they are going to “believe” for life. That means as parents we have a limited window to reach our kids' hearts and help them sort through all of the “stuff” our world is throwing at them…
The attention and success that fame brings must be a world-class thrill, like emotional crack-cocaine. It seems once tasted, there is a desperate need to have another hit and another…existence becomes focused only on more attention, more fans, more money, more success. Nothing is out of bounds; no self-seeking, shameful act will be too far… IF it brings the rush of fame and fortune.
Our kids really need us to live our beliefs in front of them, to exhibit the contentment we claim comes from living a life according to God’s word. Families of faith are going to need to be pro-active—not to judge, hate, and bash, but to review the “why” of it all. Parents must get our children to think a bit further than just of fame and actually stop to consider the desperate drive that causes people to go so far, the reasons behind it.
When the media spotlights a young celebrity's attempt to gain more fame and more success, this presents a great opportunity for parents of pre-teens and teens to have a heart to heart discussion. It’s time to ask them some bigger questions like; What is “Most” important to them? What are they willing to do to achieve it? And, why?
“Lord, help us as parents to know the healthy balance for our kids and when, where and how to help them become young adults.”
