Knowledge

I am thirty-four and I am still learning so much.

The things that my children know are so much more than what I knew by their ages.

The books that they are reading are many more books than what I read at their ages.

I mean, I read, but it was just simple stuff, like Cinderella and Pinnochio from Disney.

At times, you can find me at Rummage Sales on the weekends.

I always find loads of books that people are selling.

Usually it's childrens books.

I have found the greatest books at rummage sales.

It's always such a treasure, because I get them for such incredibly cheap prices.

But I have seen such a disturbing trend, and it's been going on for a while,

but I never had paid attention before.

The trend is: Horror books for small children (ie: 8 and above)

While hitting the sales yesterday, I found two big boxes of books, the price on the boxes equaled $10.

While searching through the boxes, I found a Calvin and Hobbes 10th anniversary book that

my son and I have been searching for a long time.

I tried to offer them a buck for it to no avail.

I had to buy all or nothing.

So I offered $3 for the two boxes, the lady said $4.

I pondered it, and decided that the C and H book was worth that much to my son and I.

I threw the boxes in the back of the van and we headed home.

As I unloaded the books at my house, I saw something different.

"Goosebumps" (children's horror books), many of them, like twenty of them, all worn from

being read and re-read.

Many other "scary" books were in there also.

These books aren't about little boys and girls pretending to be Knights and Princesses,

these books were about death and blood and insanity.

Not wholesome things.

I went to another rummage sale.

A table loaded with "Bratz" dolls and their accessories.

Also on the table, many video games, violent and vile staring at me from

heir skulls and twisted faces.

I sifted through the dolls, staring at their "se*xy" faces and "se*xy" outfits.

I studied these dolls briefly, being saddened by the thoughtlessness in which

we allow our small children to "dip their toes" into that

subtley se*x-drenched genre.

Being so mindless about what we let our children play.

"It's just innocent child's play."

No it's not, it's teaching our kids that se*xy and horror are good and acceptable in their tiny young minds.

Blech.

The girl and boy that were there selling the viloent games and the bratty dolls watched eagerly to see if I would be the next person to buy their merchandise.

They couldn't have been older than nine and seven.

Little kids......

It's not their fault, really.

But think of whose fault it is.....

Where did the days go when parents encouraged their kids to play with little dolls, baby dolls?

(Not dolls dressed in "baby doll" lingerie)

Where did the days go where the video games that kids played consisted of getting a frog across busy trafficor helping Indiana Jones help the damsel in distress?

Children are only children for a very short while (as we all know).

We, as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, should be putting within their hearts

pure ideas.

Pure thoughts.

Allowing boys to fight their gallant fights.

Escorting girls into the Fairy kingdom that

they want to rule over and dance in.

This family of mine might be just one teeny tiny family in the universe of life,

but this family of mine will be filled not with smut,

not with filth.

But with innocence.

Let them be children.

Do not lead them elsewhere.

May the Lord Christ help us all.

~B

sidenote: I can't figure out why the spacing is off here, so just bare with it please. :)