DISQUS

Leslie Robinson · 3 years ago

If We Grew Up Scared, So Should You I'm a "baby boomer." As a kid growing up in a suburb of Chicago during the 1950's and '60's, we had regular air raid drills at school. We learned about the effects of radiation. In our home like many others, an old windowless concrete-walled coal room became the "bomb shelter" stored with water and canned goods.

The end of WWII and the beginning of the atomic age was less than a decade old. The current events we learned about at school included the Cuban missile crisis with Russia and the "Cold War" with Communists. Our classrooms mourned en masse when President John Kennedy was shot.

My high school years were filled with the Vietnam War. (In those days, reporters were mostly free to mingle with military units so the evening news was filled with the real "blood and guts" of war and body counts.) At the senior prom, guys compared their draft numbers.

Baby Boomers for the most part, are today's leading politicians, educators and business owners. Are we transferring our fears from the past into current politics, policies and economic decisions?

Wendy Norris · 3 years ago

excellent question, Leslie

Baby Boomers for the most part, are today's leading politicians, educators and business owners. Are we transferring our fears from the past into current politics, policies and economic decisions?

As a child of the late 1960s-70s Duck and Cover Era we were hyper-inculcated to obey authority and fear difference as a desperate stop gap tactic to minimize the counter-culture.

It was an odd and exhilirating time to grow up. But those tactics were obviously effective if one considers the political direction the country took under Reagan.

Nancy Watzman · 3 years ago

Intriguing Discussion What is a reasonable reaction to the threats our children face? I can't pretend that I know the answers. As others have noted, when fear rules then questionable policy often follows. On the other hand, as a parent, you rely on schools to keep your children safe. I can't even imagine what the parents of the children who died at Columbine went through.

I'll link to this discussion over at http://www.muckrakingmomMuckraking Mom.

Eva Syrovy · 3 years ago

a teacher's viewpoint I've been through both lock down drills and actual, if modified, lockdowns. Much of how the kids receive it is how it is presented by teachers. My middle schoolers seem do deal just fine; the itsier kids have a tougher time. My own second grader worries about all kinds of things going wrong in his world, from wild animals to UFO's. All I can say to him is that there are threats you can control by doing things like wearing bike helmets and seatbelts and doing his best during school drills, and yes, there are things you can do nothing about, but these are rare and, since you can do nothing about them, not worth worrying about. It does seem to help. It IS extremely important for parents to be open and accepting of their children's fears, while still calming those fears. Not exactly an easy task..