Children grow up too fast today. Parents are eager to get their small children into an academic program before they take their final step. What happened to belief in Santa Claus coming down the chimney, or getting several coins under your pillow from a visit from the tooth fairy? Yes, we are stealing the simple joys of wonder and bliss of what it means to be a child.
Today, parents want their children to know there is a scientific reason why the leaves change from drab green to the colors of the rainbow. In other words, there are no jack frost in the scientific world. But in truth, science and nature go hand in hand in today’s world.
It seems the wiser and smarter we become, we are leaving behind good morals and biblical principles. The classic song “Dust on the Bible” reminds us that we no longer take God’s word seriously or study the Bible daily. When my generation was growing up, everything was a miracle. Children knew there was a mysterious man in the moon, and jolly old St. Nick flew across the star-filled night guided by Rudolph the red nosed reindeer with a sleigh filled with Christmas toys for every little boy or girl on Christmas Eve. A girl once told us where babies came from and we believed her, and it was shocking to learn that they came from a big bump on the bottom of a giant oak tree. Life for a child was a giant, mysterious puzzle that we wanted to figure out for ourselves. In time, we would solve all the urgent mysteries., but our parents were wise enough to let luck and fantasy lie undisturbed like our hunting dog sleeping on the front porch.
In time, we were left with choices to believe or not believe what life had to offer. Today, we can learn more from the simple joys of childhood than any textbook could ever provide.
