It used to be Mom, Dad, two kids, and a dog. Now you need to include the Blackberry and the cellphone into the mix too. Once again, we seem to be moving further and further from traditional family values in this country.
Whatever happened to working 9-5? Whatever happened to vacations? Whatever happened to coming home from work and taking a break from your boss, your job, and your professional responsibilities? Why can't we just be people WITH people anymore? The trends I'm seeing all around me are very disturbing.
I'm a teacher. I work from about 6:30 to 2:30 every day. After that, I go home and hang with the kids. I make dinner before my wife gets home and the four of us eat dinner together, as a family, nearly every night of the year. How many families can say this? I wish more could.
Some might say that if I had a more demanding job, I might not have as much time with my family. Maybe that's true, but maybe that's because I CHOSE this job and chose to stay in it for those very reasons! I once had an opportunity to have my salary doubled working in another field. That's a lot to turn down, but ultimately I knew that I enjoyed the time off that teaching afforded me. And though I may not command a huge salary in the professional world, I have time to be with the people I love. Isn't that what's important? America doesn't seem to promote that.
I wish I could go out to the mall and see people holding hands, instead of one window shopping virtually alone while the other checks email and texts away on their Blackberry. I wish I saw fathers at baseball practice WITHOUT their phones on their belts answering calls when they could be watching their kids grow and learn and play. I wish the world around me emphasized the importance of love and parenthood instead of money.
Some might say that if I had a more demanding job, I might not have as much time with my family. Maybe that's true, but maybe that's because I CHOSE this job and chose to stay in it for those very reasons! I once had an opportunity to have my salary doubled working in another field. That's a lot to turn down, but ultimately I knew that I enjoyed the time off that teaching afforded me. And though I may not command a huge salary in the professional world, I have time to be with the people I love. Isn't that what's important? America doesn't seem to promote that.
I wish I could go out to the mall and see people holding hands, instead of one window shopping virtually alone while the other checks email and texts away on their Blackberry. I wish I saw fathers at baseball practice WITHOUT their phones on their belts answering calls when they could be watching their kids grow and learn and play. I wish the world around me emphasized the importance of love and parenthood instead of money.
