Unfortunately youth can be distracted, and influenced, by what’s called, “wrong thinking propaganda.”

It’s usually delivered per a negative media manifestation such as words in music, negative imagery in videos, or for example first person shooter games.

Young minds can become desensitized, plus lured, thru the vehicle of entertainment or wrong info to a wrong turn destination.

Adolescents who are not supervised or counseled could conform to the image of what is being represented of what he or she is supposed to be not who they are. These worldly influences or erroneous examples can guide young adults, to play a role that attracts bad consequences into their lives.

These negative consequences can impact their families, communities, and culture in a devastating manner.

As a Christian mother of five children, kinship care giver, grandmother of three grandchildren, aunt, and great aunt, to a mixture of nieces and nephews, I think I know a little something about raising kids.

Every child is different. And yet all need the same investment, of love, knowledge, and faith, to survive in the world. Every stage of a child’s life is precipitated with both learning experiences, and physical maturation.

Each stage of his or hers life from crawling out of a crib, to being able to cut their own meat on their plates, encourages self-reliance, exploration, and independence, supervised in love as well as reassurance.

Let’s look at the little idiosyncrasies, of language development, and conversations change, in the progression of a child’s life span for instance.

The same young adults who use to call you “mommy,” as a toddler now greets you with, “Hey lady! Whatcha making for dinner?”

These trends of minor communication changes are to be expected and taken with a grain of salt. But what happens when that same child, as a young adult, begins to be introduced to the world’s definition of independence?

Such lifestyle practices like; pre-marital sex, drugs, narcissism, sadism, (just to name a few) morally objectionable behaviors that a young person could be introduced to. Such dissolute choices, if left unchecked, have lead, a many inexperienced adult, into precarious lifestyles, under achievement, or worst case scenario early death.

Unfortunately, the world’s bad advice, targets parents of adolescent and new adults as well. As a case and point, and I quote “throw your child, out into the street by their eighteenth birthday.” This popular motto and trend of thought has a setback “throw away kids.”

The term “throw away kids,” was coined in California, but the damaging effect of this epidemic is widespread in American society today. In my experience I can attest to receiving this bad news bear advice repeatedly over the years.

But because I stuck to my guns I now have three college graduates and all five children are working, voting, and productive citizens.

(Had I listened to friends and some families’ advice to throw my kids out of the house at 18, I wouldn’t be able to share this good report with you today.)

Just about every mom has heard this same old one liner at one point or another during her motherhood reign.

“Girl you raised those kids by yourself, and you deserve a break…put those kids out when their 18 years old so you can have your life back!”

It’s tempting and beguiling advice. And you never know just who will be coming your way to drop the bomb of error at your door.

This worldly proverb of bad advice can be also contrast to the old saying for one to leave their “8-year-old child home alone to watch their younger siblings, their old enough.”

This advice has led in some cases to mothers coming home to burnt down houses and damaged children.

My point is that bad advice seems to make sense sometimes initially but ends up wrong in the long run. So we have to have our kids’ backs in order to safely transition them thru to a successful adulthood.

But buyer beware because some youth, if violent will hurt you physically, (their like a bucking horse, if you don’t let go of them they’ll kick you!)

So there are always the exceptions to the rule. But on the most part, the truth and appalling example of following worldly advice such as throwing our children out on the street during their new adult transition, correlates to higher increase in: incarceration statistics, high school dropout rates, homelessness, gang violence, prostitution, college dropout rate, drug addictions, mental illness, plus the innumerable number of, “missing in action,” young people who could be productive contributing participants to our communities, democratic process, and churches. (“A portrait of inequality report” 2012,CDF.)
So what am I trying to say to you? Just this, we as seasoned adults must come to terms with the fact that the world is not our friend.

So when listening to worldly idioms such as, “if it feels good do it,” “throw your kids into the street their grown,” “It’s okay to let your new boyfriend baby sit your kids he likes you” or any type of stereo typing jargon that usually has its footing linked to the atrocities of slavery must be cast off. I say these words with much passion because the consequences of following thru with the instructions of half-truths, or, wrong thinking methods, can leave our children damaged, and produce unethical, insensitive, policies and practices.

Our kids need ethical, rational, parents, to be the safety net, in which they can fall back on.

And we as parents must put worldly policies in its place when it obstructs or threatens the prosperity and wellbeing of our children and general public. (You know…we got to get all of our

“We the people,” fortifications up and running so that our children’s, children, can have a chance at being happy or at least sane.)

As parents we must shield and protect our up and coming adult generations from themselves, and balance the scale of secular viewpoints with wisdom and understanding.

As mature, serious minded, kind, adults, it’s our responsibility to give our leaders of tomorrow, shelter, wisdom, and hope, for a healthy existence.

The one way we can do that is by impeding erroneous secular objectives from reaching their goals. And allowing our children to be all they can be by providing food, and shelter, during their transition of early adulthood and vocational development.

Written by Karen Edmond