Trick or Treat
As this Halloween passed, seeing groups of beaming children in my neighborhood dressed as little princesses and vampires reminded me of my own Halloween memories.
It did, however, get me thinking about the whole concept of "trick or treat" - young people showing up at a stranger's doorstep and trusting them to deliver something that wouldn't be harmful.
Are we, as a society, delivering tricks or treats to our children?
Have we been truly responsible for them, or is what we're dropping in their little hands going to cause them suffering in the future?
Are we passing along the treat of a solid education that will help them lead healthy lives, or the trick of celebrities with fast money and expensive cars and clothes?
Are we acting like responsible adults, walking alongside them as they make their way, or are we turning them loose to whomever might see them as an easy target?
Have we left the light on so they can see their way safely, or are they walking in darkness?
When the young people in our lives show up at our door, are we waiting with something to put a smile on their faces, or are we just too busy?
Are the messages coming from our homes going to be nourishing, or do they contain the hidden blade of ignorance, profanity, greed, misogyny, and violence?
Think about how trusting and excited you were as a child getting ready for Halloween. We should remember that every day as we think about what we're going to drop into our kids' hands today.
In our society, the pranksters, bag snatchers, perverts, and abusers are all hard at work, creating their tricks for our unsuspecting youth. What are we doing?
It did, however, get me thinking about the whole concept of "trick or treat" - young people showing up at a stranger's doorstep and trusting them to deliver something that wouldn't be harmful.
Are we, as a society, delivering tricks or treats to our children?
Have we been truly responsible for them, or is what we're dropping in their little hands going to cause them suffering in the future?
Are we passing along the treat of a solid education that will help them lead healthy lives, or the trick of celebrities with fast money and expensive cars and clothes?
Are we acting like responsible adults, walking alongside them as they make their way, or are we turning them loose to whomever might see them as an easy target?
Have we left the light on so they can see their way safely, or are they walking in darkness?
When the young people in our lives show up at our door, are we waiting with something to put a smile on their faces, or are we just too busy?
Are the messages coming from our homes going to be nourishing, or do they contain the hidden blade of ignorance, profanity, greed, misogyny, and violence?
Think about how trusting and excited you were as a child getting ready for Halloween. We should remember that every day as we think about what we're going to drop into our kids' hands today.
In our society, the pranksters, bag snatchers, perverts, and abusers are all hard at work, creating their tricks for our unsuspecting youth. What are we doing?
