Several weekends ago, my wife and I were relaxing and enjoying a quiet, rainy afternoon.
I was reading yesterday's news and my wife, being the hip grandma that she is, was "texting" her granddaughter on her iPhone. Yes, even grandmas get into this new craze, Facebook and all.
Out of nowhere I hear "uh-oh." When one hears the only other person in the room say "uh-oh," it is required that the listener follow up with the response, "What?" She then dropped the "bombshell." No, her granddaughter didn't run off with a rock star and she wasn't in jail. She hadn't broken her arm or chipped a tooth. The big "uh-oh" was because granddaughter Kayla went to the mall with two of her girlfriends, without mom or dad! Based on grandma's gasp, I thought that maybe they robbed the local branch bank.
Calmly, I responded with a "so what?" In typical grandmotherly fashion she informed me that Kayla was only 14 and had never gone to the mall by herself. I asked what could possibly happen to three teenaged girls at the mall. Grandma's incredulous response to grandpa's lack of concern was short and to the point. She replied, "Anything could happen to her without her parents there to protect her!"
This little dialogue over a brief "text" message got me to thinking about the state of the society in which we now live. We probably live in one of the safest places on earth. Imagine teenage girls taking an unescorted stroll or going to the mall in Iraq or Somalia. Still, here in our country, we are concerned about our children's safety and rightfully so. Almost daily, something is in the news about a missing child or one that was a victim of a crime.
Reflecting back on my childhood days, I can remember feeling totally safe. During the summer, my neighborhood friends and I would be outside after dark, without parental supervision, playing "kick-the-can" or "hide-and-seek." Often we would be out in the fresh night air until we got the call to come in and get ready for bed.
As young boys, my pals and I would sleep on our front porch or in a tent in the yard with only a flashlight to scare off the goblins that lurked in the shadows. When Halloween rolled around, we would dress up in homemade costumes and "terrorize" the neighborhood as we raked in all that trick-or-treat candy. Amazingly, none of us got poisoned, ate a razor blade, or got grabbed while knocking on a stranger's door.
On Saturdays we walked to the neighborhood movie theater and were able to watch a double feature for 25 cents. The theater was full of kids just like us. Much to the regret of the manager, there wasn't a parent in the crowd. There were popcorn, Jujubes, Whoppers and ice cubes flying everywhere. We had such fun! As far as I know no one ever saw a guy lurking in the shadows, wearing a trench coat.
So what happened? Where did our society make a wrong turn? Where did the evil come from? I'm sure these questions go through every parent's mind at some point. I doubt if there is any single cause of the decline in human goodness that grabs the headlines. I have several theories, without any statistical data or scientific research to back them up.
Television, in my opinion, played a mighty big role in the moral decline of our society. We were doing great with "I Love Lucy" and "Ozzie and Harriet." Ward and June Cleaver set a fine example raising The Beaver and his brother Wally. So where did we begin this trip down the road to ruin?
Remember the first nighttime soap opera called "Dallas," which debuted in 1978? Maybe it was J.R. Ewing and his irreverent trysts that the media moguls soon discovered boosted ratings. In any case, the language and content of television and movies has deteriorated dramatically over time. It might have helped the ratings but it has also influenced some viewers in negative ways.
The advent of the Internet and its total lack of content control ranks right up there with Hollywood but unfortunately I have rambled on too long. The best thing we can do is to be vigilant about what our kids are watching and doing. Parents and grandparents who are willing to talk and listen can have a positive impact on today's young generation.
Oh, BTW (by the way), grandma found out in a recent text message that her granddaughter's mom was also shopping in the same mall and met up with the girls later. As you can imagine, grandma's "uh-oh" has become a quiet sigh of relief.
Ed Hungness can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com.
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