After the riots and civil unrest that took place in the summer of 1967, many cities across the nation enacted a mandatory youth curfew of 10:00 p.m. As a result, a reminder to parents was given on air before the late night news from the late 60’s and into the 80’s. The reminder was, “It is 10:00 p.m. Do you know where your children are?” This public service announcement targeted those of Generation X which, according to a study by High Beam Research in 2004, were the most under parented and under nurtured generation in U.S. history. “Generation X has been called the latchkey generation, a group of people whose personal identity was in part shaped by the independence of being left alone after school” (Erin Blakemore, “The Latchkey Generation: How Bad Was It?” JSTOR Daily, 10/9/16).
While this PSA was meant to get parents thinking about where their children were physically, I would like to take it a different direction. As a child grows, we as parents help to shape the self-concept that child has. This relates to how the child views themselves in relation to the world around them. Religious, cultural and ethnic concepts begin to be formed at a very young age. “Train up a child in the way he should go” is not just a proverb for spirituality (Prov. 22:6). Our influence as parents is vital to a child’s relationship with God and society at large. Luke’s commentary on the growth of Jesus highlights this: “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (2:52). Similarly, “Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men” (1 Sam. 2:26). We see in these two important figures that the physical, spiritual and social aspects of growth were highlighted. These points should also be areas of concern for us as parents.
The question I would like you to consider is this, “Do you know where your children are?” Do you know how they are growing and developing spiritually and socially? For those with older children, do you know where they stand on spiritual matters? Do you know what their world view is? How do they perceive the world around them and their place in it? In the preteen and adolescent years, these questions become much more important. At that age, they are solidifying and reinforcing their image of self. Do you know what that image is? Is it healthy?
We have a lot to balance as parents. Between the school assignments, activities and household responsibilities, things get lost in the shuffle. Make time periodically to have these conversations with your children. Ask them how they honestly feel and think about issues. Help them reason through their positions. Find out where your children are.