Nurture the needs of the heart, soul, spirit and family?

I often wonder, as many of you do, why is it that as our children are becoming increasingly connected, they are being much more disengaged? And as our communication and entertainment options grow, why are our kids learning how to communicate much less and much less?

Why do they prefer to text than to talk? These are concerns that cross parents’ minds every day. Many from the values that children are formulating today are not providing them with the foundation necessary to become functioning, well-adjusted, responsible independent adults.

The kids do have a commonality in this quandary, and that is they're all plugged in. Unfortunately what they're plugged into is their MP3 player, cell phone, computer, or flat screen Television. And, for the most part, it is doing little to instill great values or promote activity and strong loved ones bonds. By no means is the media and entertainment the entire problem. It is merely a symptom.

The problem is passivity. Our kids are getting armchair observers of life and are not exercising their own creativity and imagination.

Psychologist David Klimick of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a specialist in maturation, writes: “America’s youth have become literally attached to the Television, music and radio, and if you take them away, they go via more loss and despair than should you took away their parents”.

He further offers “the ability to grow from passive to active is really a major passage from childhood to adulthood.” As our lifestyles change and more families have both parents working outside the house, it's more important than ever to reinforce and reestablish strong family ties.

We must approach our child-rearing with a brand new and various spirit. We should produce a family atmosphere that doesn’t center on passive activities such as watching videos, Tv, and playing video games. I can’t overly stress the importance of building this kind of foundation, and it is never as well early or as well late to begin.

So, thank you for choosing to share these stories using the kids in your life. It is essential - to our planet as a whole - that we work together to liberate ourselves from old habits that aren’t serving us to make way for the ideals and values, which make us a family.

We must look objectively at our cultural values and be willing to repair, to alter our course, and nurture the needs of the heart, the soul, the spirit and also the loved ones.

If you are interested in the “One To Grow On!” Series visit http://ping.fm/xrwgl