What Path Are Our Children Taking?
By Mary M. Ernsberger
School's out for summer - School's out forever - School's been blown to pieces. When these lyrics were performed by Alice Cooper in 1972, school violence was something that rarely happened and if it did, it happened somewhere else. The song continues with No more pencils, No more books, No more teacher's dirty looks - Out for summer, Out till fall, We might not go back at all. In 2002, Alice Cooper rerecorded this song with a Swedish pop group called the A-Teens. One line in the song was changed. Instead of "School's been blown to pieces," the lyrics became "I'm bored to pieces." As we prepare for summer 2007, what path do we see our children taking? Boredom leads to "going where no one has gone before" and often that is a dangerous place physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Each year, more and more children are diagnosed with psychological disorders. You can take your pick of ADD, ADHD, OCD, Bi-Polar, Autism, Aspergers, SID, CAPD, and they go on and on. Why are these disorders so prevalent now? Are they truly diagnosable disorders or are they the answer to why our children don't act the same way we did when we were their age? Each of these disorders has a connection to a specific behavior, commonly how the child interacts and reacts to other children or adults. The allopathic answer is to put these children on psychotropic medications. This answer only creates additional problems; primarily the inability to predict how these medications will react with the child's physical and mental body and what the long term side effects may be. Each time we hear about another school violence incident, the perpetrators are not only young adults, they also have a medical history of one or more of these disorders and have been prescribed one or more psychotropic medications to fix them. So how can you fix something that isn't broken in the first place?
The answer lies with this generation's "elders." The amount of stress that each "elder" confronts on a daily basis, with work, bills, home, school, and family is enough to break anyone. It is usually the smallest thing that causes the biggest reaction because we have just gotten to the point that we can't take any more. The incident becomes the "straw that broke the camel's back" so to speak. As "elders," we turn to medications to help us cope. Is this the example we want to set for the next generation? The children, teens and young adults are also faced with an enormous amount of stress in their daily lives. To compound that, add the fact that they are extremely sensitive to the energy emitted by everyone around them and many do not even understand why they feel the way they do. Children need to be taught how to surround themselves with a protective "bubble" to help alleviate the energetic reaction. If you are empathic and find yourself reacting to situations based on the people around you, surround yourself with the same "bubble."
The next time you ask a young person why they did something and they respond by saying, "I don't know," believe them. We all respond to situations based on the memories we access, consciously or subconsciously. Very young children are not capable of understanding the word "NO." A child can not - not do something, until he has done it the first time. Children feel the emotion that goes with the action. Take notice of how you feel inside before you react outside. Anger is the polar opposite of Love and anger is also a component of love. Make sense? When we do not feel Love, whether it is in the form of respect, understanding, recognition, compassion or forgiveness, we get angry. So do our children. How we choose to express this anger is the issue. Have you been taught to "talk it out" or do you "react?" The ability to talk out your feelings is Love in action. Just reacting to the situation is the Anger component, which in many instances leads to rage and violence.
Teach yourself how to control your reactions and then teach your children. Share your inner most feelings with them. This does not make you weak - it makes you human. Whether you are a parent, educator or elder you do not have to present a rock solid, invincible front to the world. You are only lying to them and to yourself, denying who you truly are. Children learn by example - what kind of example are you setting?
There are a number of options to reaching for that pill bottle. Join a health club, yoga class, visualization or hypnotherapy, breathe, call a friend, try Flower Essences or Aromatherapy, talk to your pet, sit under a tree, blow bubbles or hug your child. If you need help changing your pattern of reaction, find a competent therapist. Take the time to discover where and when this behavior began so you can reframe your reaction. Express your love to the world and watch the world love you back!
About the author: Mary is the founder of the Learning Connection Holistic Center which provides specialized services in mind-body therapy, hypnotherapy/guided imagery, children & family life coaching, Flower Essence and Aromatherapy for children and families. She is the author of "Recognizing the Greatness in Each Child," available at www.lulu.com. She was a featured speaker at the "Emerging Healers Conference" in July, 2007. Mary can be contacted by phone at 480-343-9555, e-mail at hypno4kids@yahoo.com or through her web site, www.hypno4kids.com
This article was posted by Mary Ernsberger
