I can't say that about my grandkids because they seem to be busy all the time. The granddaughter is a show jumper. Scares the heck out of me but she enjoys it. My two grandsons are playing baseball, football and basketball. They also do a little hunting in the winter.
My mom enjoys writing letters but about the only ones she writes to is the utility companies to pay her bill by check. I started something a few years ago on her birthday. I had some friends and family send her a letter. Just a letter telling how they were doing and what they have been up to. They were all surprised when my mom wrote them back but that is how she is. She like conversing in the written word. I send her stories I have written on Substack because she likes to put them in a binder. I get letters from her and my wife will call her about a recipe and in a few days, she will receive the recipe on a handwritten card. I will talk to her on the phone, but she really likes a handwritten letter.
Anyone who comments here likes writing too……I will always love a handwritten note….especially one with a twist of creative thought or humor! My grands are also busy with good things🙏……but many are not which we need to address someway….somehow…..
Luckily our local schools are prohibiting phones in school… it’s a start. My grand children are not within any of the groups you wrote about in this article. They all participate in multiple sports and genuinely enjoy reading…some under the bedcovers with a flashlight…lol…Our 9 yo granddaughter has been writing us letters recently… not in cursive but she’s trying. Families need to be proactive in giving their kids a well rounded upbringing. There is always HOPE!!!
Best line? "Only one out of every 15 students scores above average in algebra." I'm in my mid 80s & have forgottem much, including how to figure this out. Isn't "average" the 50% range?
But thanks for all your research to give us the whole article. God bless.
My fave, too. Though I am concerned that Sean thinks that 237 notifications in a day works out to 4 per minute. It’s actually just under 10 per hour (or 20 per hour if you figure that they sleep 8 hours a day). My inner math nerd is showing through 😋
The most valuable gift you can give someone is your time. My boys would say I preached this to them over the years, but it’s true. Any it doesn’t cost you anything. I couldn’t agree with you more, Sean.
God help us! This article is full or frightening facts that we all need to hear and take heed of. I wish the children of today could just be children. The hard stuff comes soon enough.
I could debate this but I really don’t want to engage in what I would have to bring up. I will stand with yes…..the young person has to face issues we never did.
I agree not the same issues but I would not agree with more difficult issues. No drafting into war, no going to work at 12 or younger to help support the family. You must be younger than I.
Never faced a shooter drill in kindergarten, no long lectures on stranger danger, no out of control drug abuse, no in your face hatred because of your skin color, religion, ethnicity or where you live. Slambooks were seen by one or two people at a time, a AI sext that infers you have no morals go viral in a nanosecond, never to be totally eradicated.These are mere slices of life Cindy did not want to get into. Bottom line: lots of problems, no easy solutions.
No segregation, no women having to fight for the right to vote, no minorities having to fight for the right to vote. You're correct, we could go on and on. My point is, there are different issues. I would not agree there are more difficult issues.✌️
Well, maybe. And there are also teens like the one who was at her classroom door when Colt Gray knocked, wanting inside. She saw him pulling a gun from a bag, refused to let him in, and told the rest of her class to hide. She heard shooting start only a few seconds later. But she knew if she had let him in they likely would all have been shot.
We could all spend more time with kids. A singer/songwriter David LaMotte, who is a friend writes, "There's no time like the present, no present like time." It's a great song and speaks a real truth. We can make a present of time, and do it now. And I know kids who participate in several retreats every year. A regular part of those retreats is to pack meals for hungry people. go visit elderly folks in care facilities, or involve themselves in service activities. They make a present of their time. My hope is that's a practice they will engage in for a very long time.
These statistics are so sad! I love to write! Notes, letters, cards, lists, journals, stories……..you name it! I love pencils with a good eraser! We need to get back to the basics at school!
Maybe schools could have writing clubs. The kids could write a letter once a week to an old person,but of course a carefully screened old person who WOULD reply in a suitable and encouraging manner. I can see the danger here but with care maybe it could work
Yes! Yes! Yes! Investing in children and young people is the greatest investment and we must do so with as much gusto, fun and compassion as we can! I think about the many adults who invested in me as a young person. Besides my family, to whom I was VERY BLESSED, my personal list - Sunday School teachers, public school teachers (Awesome! Led me into teaching), coaches, after school math tutors, librarians, piano teachers, guitar instructors, next door neighbors, summer camp counselors, scout leaders, youth choir directors, church youth directors, VBS directors and teachers, and college professors (and this was on the rare side) who did activities outside the classroom…..like my college science teacher who set up his personal telescope so we could gaze at the upper nightly heavens! Today we have a greater match to compete with…..technology……but! I have found several ways to socialize and grab the attention of young people ….to list a few- help with homework, putt putt golf, puzzles (this has been a great outlet for my oldest grandchild and me), board games (many I make up using candy and that fit the child’s personality) taking a child to church and helping them grow spiritually, art activities, attending youth baseball games and cheering your heart out, teaching kids to ride a bike and joining them, watching good movies together and discussing them and the list goes on…..The old 1972 quote, “The mind is a terrible thing to waste” reminds me of the need for youth investment!!!! It is indeed America’s battle cry!!! Lastly, add those who have prayed over me……and each of us can do that faithfully for our youth!!!
Amen, Sean. And you are a prime example of acting on what you preach. How is Becca? We haven't heard about her in a while. Yes, spending time with a child, whether your own or someone else's is more than valuable time spent. Go out there and hug a child. (just remember to get permission from a parent, in case you don't know the child.) Better to pick one you know! :-) This essay provides a strong reminder to us of what is important!
It’s so obvious to me. Getting rid of recess, gym class and lunch period has caused a breakdown in the establishment of pecking orders and learning where you fit. If you’ve never farted noisily enough to be heard (and thereby ridiculed) or spit milk out through your nose, and recovered from these by time and seeing others in such positions, then I don’t understand how you could have grown up without serious deficiencies. Self-grown self-esteem, knowledge of what you’re good at and what you’re not, knowing and understanding where you fit, and aware of others with talents and foibles like you - or different from you but just as wonky. No one is perfect, and that’s the beauty of it!
Bring back recess, PE, and lunch period where real learning to be a human happens!
I remember this encyclopedia salesman came to our house & my dad bought them for us kids. We loved them, we look up things, & read. My dad read a book every day.He would cuss at the weatherman called Dr. Dwayne- & say why is this moron a “Doctor?” Then he would watch Jepordy & get most of answers right.I miss him & loved him so much. He would hate the cell phone addiction. I google everything now daily. On my phone way too much- The good old days were great! People were kind & caring, kids never got shot in school, someone didn’t get murdered every night, and climate change wasn’t causing storms & floods. I’m glad we were raised in the good old days- kids think we are dumb, but I know we are smarter- because we grew up in The Good Old Days!!! Love to BB you & family!❤️
In our house, many an argument was ended by one of us kids racing down the hall to get the World Book Encyclopedia. If the facts in the book didn’t end it, bashing a kid with those heavy hardcovers did! (Note: it was us kids not our parents who did the bashing…)
Does any of the percentages Sean has disclosed alarm any of us? Well what about this one, the Heritage Foundation will eliminate the Department of Education. Read the Project 2025. Save our Republic and our Democratic way of life.
I can't say that about my grandkids because they seem to be busy all the time. The granddaughter is a show jumper. Scares the heck out of me but she enjoys it. My two grandsons are playing baseball, football and basketball. They also do a little hunting in the winter.
My mom enjoys writing letters but about the only ones she writes to is the utility companies to pay her bill by check. I started something a few years ago on her birthday. I had some friends and family send her a letter. Just a letter telling how they were doing and what they have been up to. They were all surprised when my mom wrote them back but that is how she is. She like conversing in the written word. I send her stories I have written on Substack because she likes to put them in a binder. I get letters from her and my wife will call her about a recipe and in a few days, she will receive the recipe on a handwritten card. I will talk to her on the phone, but she really likes a handwritten letter.
Anyone who comments here likes writing too……I will always love a handwritten note….especially one with a twist of creative thought or humor! My grands are also busy with good things🙏……but many are not which we need to address someway….somehow…..
I love your mom! She is awesome - and she's right!
thanks for the response, the only tech she has is a flip phone
I miss my flip phone.
Luckily our local schools are prohibiting phones in school… it’s a start. My grand children are not within any of the groups you wrote about in this article. They all participate in multiple sports and genuinely enjoy reading…some under the bedcovers with a flashlight…lol…Our 9 yo granddaughter has been writing us letters recently… not in cursive but she’s trying. Families need to be proactive in giving their kids a well rounded upbringing. There is always HOPE!!!
Your best line. Twelve out of every five Americans still cannot comprehend fractions.
Best line? "Only one out of every 15 students scores above average in algebra." I'm in my mid 80s & have forgottem much, including how to figure this out. Isn't "average" the 50% range?
But thanks for all your research to give us the whole article. God bless.
Like the guy who successfully predicted ten of the last three recessions.
I'm two of them,but Brit in UK.
My fave, too. Though I am concerned that Sean thinks that 237 notifications in a day works out to 4 per minute. It’s actually just under 10 per hour (or 20 per hour if you figure that they sleep 8 hours a day). My inner math nerd is showing through 😋
The most valuable gift you can give someone is your time. My boys would say I preached this to them over the years, but it’s true. Any it doesn’t cost you anything. I couldn’t agree with you more, Sean.
Time, Talent, and Treasure…and the Greatest of these is Time💕
God help us! This article is full or frightening facts that we all need to hear and take heed of. I wish the children of today could just be children. The hard stuff comes soon enough.
Young people do have more to deal with at a much younger age than we did…..
Do you really think so? I tend to believe the opposite. Look back at history.
I could debate this but I really don’t want to engage in what I would have to bring up. I will stand with yes…..the young person has to face issues we never did.
I agree not the same issues but I would not agree with more difficult issues. No drafting into war, no going to work at 12 or younger to help support the family. You must be younger than I.
Never faced a shooter drill in kindergarten, no long lectures on stranger danger, no out of control drug abuse, no in your face hatred because of your skin color, religion, ethnicity or where you live. Slambooks were seen by one or two people at a time, a AI sext that infers you have no morals go viral in a nanosecond, never to be totally eradicated.These are mere slices of life Cindy did not want to get into. Bottom line: lots of problems, no easy solutions.
No segregation, no women having to fight for the right to vote, no minorities having to fight for the right to vote. You're correct, we could go on and on. My point is, there are different issues. I would not agree there are more difficult issues.✌️
God bless my grands AND their parents ! Not a knucklehead in the bunch….so far!😻
This may be one of the most important articles you have written! I pray many parents out there will see and read it!!
Well, maybe. And there are also teens like the one who was at her classroom door when Colt Gray knocked, wanting inside. She saw him pulling a gun from a bag, refused to let him in, and told the rest of her class to hide. She heard shooting start only a few seconds later. But she knew if she had let him in they likely would all have been shot.
We could all spend more time with kids. A singer/songwriter David LaMotte, who is a friend writes, "There's no time like the present, no present like time." It's a great song and speaks a real truth. We can make a present of time, and do it now. And I know kids who participate in several retreats every year. A regular part of those retreats is to pack meals for hungry people. go visit elderly folks in care facilities, or involve themselves in service activities. They make a present of their time. My hope is that's a practice they will engage in for a very long time.
Yes, Lander. And the girl who said "No" and refused to let him in is a heroine.
Yes, they do, need us more than ever. God help our children and help us help them
Amen!!!!
These statistics are so sad! I love to write! Notes, letters, cards, lists, journals, stories……..you name it! I love pencils with a good eraser! We need to get back to the basics at school!
Maybe schools could have writing clubs. The kids could write a letter once a week to an old person,but of course a carefully screened old person who WOULD reply in a suitable and encouraging manner. I can see the danger here but with care maybe it could work
Yes! Yes! Yes! Investing in children and young people is the greatest investment and we must do so with as much gusto, fun and compassion as we can! I think about the many adults who invested in me as a young person. Besides my family, to whom I was VERY BLESSED, my personal list - Sunday School teachers, public school teachers (Awesome! Led me into teaching), coaches, after school math tutors, librarians, piano teachers, guitar instructors, next door neighbors, summer camp counselors, scout leaders, youth choir directors, church youth directors, VBS directors and teachers, and college professors (and this was on the rare side) who did activities outside the classroom…..like my college science teacher who set up his personal telescope so we could gaze at the upper nightly heavens! Today we have a greater match to compete with…..technology……but! I have found several ways to socialize and grab the attention of young people ….to list a few- help with homework, putt putt golf, puzzles (this has been a great outlet for my oldest grandchild and me), board games (many I make up using candy and that fit the child’s personality) taking a child to church and helping them grow spiritually, art activities, attending youth baseball games and cheering your heart out, teaching kids to ride a bike and joining them, watching good movies together and discussing them and the list goes on…..The old 1972 quote, “The mind is a terrible thing to waste” reminds me of the need for youth investment!!!! It is indeed America’s battle cry!!! Lastly, add those who have prayed over me……and each of us can do that faithfully for our youth!!!
Amen, Sean. And you are a prime example of acting on what you preach. How is Becca? We haven't heard about her in a while. Yes, spending time with a child, whether your own or someone else's is more than valuable time spent. Go out there and hug a child. (just remember to get permission from a parent, in case you don't know the child.) Better to pick one you know! :-) This essay provides a strong reminder to us of what is important!
It’s so obvious to me. Getting rid of recess, gym class and lunch period has caused a breakdown in the establishment of pecking orders and learning where you fit. If you’ve never farted noisily enough to be heard (and thereby ridiculed) or spit milk out through your nose, and recovered from these by time and seeing others in such positions, then I don’t understand how you could have grown up without serious deficiencies. Self-grown self-esteem, knowledge of what you’re good at and what you’re not, knowing and understanding where you fit, and aware of others with talents and foibles like you - or different from you but just as wonky. No one is perfect, and that’s the beauty of it!
Bring back recess, PE, and lunch period where real learning to be a human happens!
I didn't have a great childhood but it sure was better than kids today.
This is scary, indeed. Lord, have mercy.
I remember this encyclopedia salesman came to our house & my dad bought them for us kids. We loved them, we look up things, & read. My dad read a book every day.He would cuss at the weatherman called Dr. Dwayne- & say why is this moron a “Doctor?” Then he would watch Jepordy & get most of answers right.I miss him & loved him so much. He would hate the cell phone addiction. I google everything now daily. On my phone way too much- The good old days were great! People were kind & caring, kids never got shot in school, someone didn’t get murdered every night, and climate change wasn’t causing storms & floods. I’m glad we were raised in the good old days- kids think we are dumb, but I know we are smarter- because we grew up in The Good Old Days!!! Love to BB you & family!❤️
In our house, many an argument was ended by one of us kids racing down the hall to get the World Book Encyclopedia. If the facts in the book didn’t end it, bashing a kid with those heavy hardcovers did! (Note: it was us kids not our parents who did the bashing…)
Does any of the percentages Sean has disclosed alarm any of us? Well what about this one, the Heritage Foundation will eliminate the Department of Education. Read the Project 2025. Save our Republic and our Democratic way of life.
Sadly, your warning will fall on many deaf ears here.
Good Sunday Morning and yes Sy Anne, shame on me if I don’t say anything about what’s in store for us.
Our youth are our future and we must invest into our future.
Sean appears to be concerned about what’s happening otherwise he would not brought out these facts and percentages in this post.
Yes, but unsubstantiated “facts” at that.
As a journalist, I have a problem with that.
Yes, an I understand this. Possibly not far off.