Dear Senator Udall,
You could do our children a better service by providing them opportunity to work.
The healthiest opportunity you can give a child is to teach them how to do volunteer work.
Doing something for another, and without pay, would give them a sense of purpose, achievement, pride, self-confidence, respect of other people's property, and work ethic.
Please give some serious thought to what I’m about to suggest:
Outside their homes, what view sheds do children see the most? If you answered, “sidewalks, roadways, rail roads, streets and highways,” you’d be spot on.
Now picture what they see: Fast food containers, poopy diapers, plastic bags, beer bottles, Styrofoam cups, mattress, plastic bags, blown tires, garage sale signs, pigeon poop, dog poop, cat poop, plastic bags, human poop, cigarette butts, pop cans, weeds, razor blades, spit, cardboard, political candidate signs, plastic bags, the occasional chair or couch, clothing, gum, needles, “Send us money and we’ll get you a date” signs, a thrown away pet, and plastic bags.
What our children see, are people who care so little about themselves and their neighbor, they demand the government seize their neighbor’s money so they can buy stuff to later throw in the neighbor’s yard.
Senator Udall, you can help change that, by encouraging them to get outside and go to work.
If work is presented the right way, there’s not a reason in the world it can’t be fun!
So instead of keeping ourselves in a chronic state of angst over whether or not we’re providing children streaming entertainment, let’s teach them how to work.
Get them outside where they can hike up and down banks, ravines and barrel pits while picking up the before-mentioned.
Hefting huge bags of trash will develop their muscles and character.
Exposing them to the elements, whether rain, blizzard, sunshine will teach them how to endure and get on with a task.
They'd grow an appreciation and respect for of our resource providers, who work come rain or shine.
They’ll learn the difference between factual science and fantasy opinions.
They’ll learn the difference between earning and stealing something.
Get them outside where they can learn how to operate a hose, a scraper, and some good concrete detergent.
Then when everything’s sparkling clean, send them back outside with flowers, shrubs, trees and maybe even some ornamental rocks. Show them how to properly dig the hole that will accommodate annuals, perennials, evergreens, deciduous and more.
Imagine the horticultural lessons they’ll learn.
Then keep taking them back outside where they can learn how to maintain those living things, and keep their new, beautiful surroundings free of the ugly stuff.
I can’t think of a better way to weld children to nature.
Can you?
I'd sure appreciate a note that shows you really read this.
Thank you,
Roni Bell Sylvester |