The Children
This past weekend, I attended my granddaughter’s Spring Choir Club event. They sang a selection of three songs, and it was beautiful! One performance stood out, and yes, it made me cry and prompted some deep reflection. Now, if you could get into your way-back machine and go to the year 1985, you might remember a song called “We Are the World.” I hope I’m not infringing on any copyrights here, but the key message is this one line, “We are the Children, we are the ones who make a brighter day.” I am a Meemaw and, of course, a mom, but I heard that little third-grade voice, and it hit me hard: what is happening to the children?
A Heart for Children
I was only able to have one child; I wanted more, but my body would not cooperate. The day my daughter was born, my world changed forever. Holding that little girl in my arms, my thoughts went wild. The biggest thought was, I can’t mess this up; she is depending on me. So, I read just about everything I could and tried to create the best home life for her. We homeschooled, and she was involved in nearly any activity she desired; we simply wanted the best for her, no matter what that entailed. Don’t get me wrong; she had chores and helped, just like everyone else in the house. We usually had a house full of kids at any given time. I ran a childcare service, trained other childcare providers, and had babies running through the house constantly. Some days seemed chaotic, but it is music to my ears to hear my daughter share happy memories of all the things she and her friends did. This was also a time before the internet and cell phones.
Have we Failed?
Not much has changed for me; I have always had a heart for children and animals. I guess that’s why I am writing this—I have serious concerns for the children of this world. I’m doing what I can to help with my grandchildren, and I hope and pray daily that they will be all right, but the things they speak of regarding school and other children scare me to the core and make me wonder: how have we failed the children?
What’s Happening
My daughter was 5 when the Columbine shootings occurred, and to this day, the word “Columbine” can still chill my soul. You would think that after all this time, we would have created or learned something from that incident. Today, school shootings are still happening; they are so common that the news rarely reports on them. My grandchildren are in the same school district where a 6-year-old shot his teacher. This was so outrageous that they had to report it. But it still goes on. All students, including those at the elementary level, must carry clear backpacks and walk through metal detectors, which has become the new normal. My youngest granddaughter is still in elementary school; there is a security guard on the premises all day and sadly, he has had to remove violent children from classrooms. My other grandchild is in middle school, and she stated that they have teachers walking them from one classroom to the next because of the fighting and such. Daily, we get news reports about children shooting children, and the one that sticks out to me is a 13-year-old who shot a 12-year-old while at a 7-Eleven at 2 in the morning.
The Parents
Too often today, parents are overwhelmed, overworked, or simply handing over the reins to screens, schools, or society to raise their children. Many want to do the right thing—but somewhere along the way, we’ve been sold the lie that the system will do it for us. That structure, discipline, and moral grounding are optional. That it’s enough just to keep them busy or entertained.
>No curriculum can replace what a loving, engaged parent provides: consistent expectations, correction with compassion, a model of grace, grit, and godliness.
When parents pull back, children drift. And that’s why your voice matters so deeply. You’re not shouting blame—you’re calling for restoration. Maybe this message needs to be less about outrage and more about invitation. A call for parents to re-enter the story, reclaim their God-given role, and be the first and fiercest advocates for their children’s hearts and minds
What To DO
My mind feels like it might burst after watching a CNN clip about a University of Connecticut student—a college freshman who graduated high school with honors—who admits she cannot read or write. And she’s not alone. I’ve seen clips from professors and former teachers saying the same thing: many students today can’t write a full sentence, much less a paragraph. And when asked to write anything of length, they turn to AI.
How is this happening? How does a child go from preschool to high school in the United States without learning to read or write?
Clip after clip tells the same troubling story: preschoolers expelled for violence, school-aged kids more focused on gender identity than learning, and college students unable to complete basic reading or writing tasks. It’s heartbreaking—and terrifying.
The Future
What does the future look like for these children? What does our own future look like? Is this the bright future they were singing about back in 1985? We are now in 2025. We have the internet and more technology than the human race can possibly handle, yet what have we done to our children? They are not receiving a proper education; they lack the skills to explore, ask questions, or find answers. Instead, their solution to most problems seems to be violence. Help me understand, because I just don’t get it. The future for these children does not look promising.I’m saddened by the state of the world, but as just one person, I want to show my grandchildren that things can be different and brighter. However, they will need to work hard, put in more effort, and strive to be better.
What’s the Solution
I would like to think I have some amazing solution or call to action, but I don’t. Parents and grandparents, it’s time to wake up and put down your phones or tablets.. Hug your kids, get outside and play with your kids, READ to your kids. Do something, anything, before it’s too late.