And we insist that THEIR LIVES should be conducted without any: sex, drugs, cheating, stealing, or intolerance?

SEX

Not just "normal" male-female interaction, I am talking about EVERY POSSIBLE body part, partner and material combination - things many "worldly" adults can't imagine or are too repulsed to even give a one minute of theoretical thought to are out there. In full color - with sound.

Seriously, have you looked at any pornography on the Internet lately? I have, and I'll tell you what: everyone looks like they are having a GOOD TIME.

Go on the Internet, put the word sex and anything else into a search engine and you will find sites committed to the joyful use of that "anything else" for the furtherance of sexual gratification. What's a kid to think, other than: "Adults are hypocrites" and "Sex is fun - the kinkier the better".

Ed Cantarella

Drugs & Alcohol

Meanwhile, we serve alcohol at gatherings of family and friends, especially during holidays. "Yeah, trying to kill off Grandpa before the New Year" - that must be the subtle message we send.

Defending a smoking habit has got to be slightly comical to a youngster. I mean, with alcohol you might fool a kid (for a while) with, "Mommy and Daddy are just drinking some yucky juice you wouldn't like".

But what is a kid supposed to think when they are told, "Tommy (cough,cough), don't even try smoking (hack, cough), it's bad for your health. And don't you forget, I'll whip your little butt if I catch you smoking (cough, cough)" - all while the parent is shaking another smoke out of the pack?

A kid has got to think: "Gee, my parents are tyrannical, double-standard toting hypocrites - with abusive, suicidal and self-abusive tendencies."

Who you calling a Dope?

"My parents are the 'dopes' if they think I'm not trying this stuff."

Modern culture, from Budweiser T-shirts, to "Animal House"-type movies all make it abundantly clear that for ordinary people, of any age - drinking, drugging and smoking is fun; increases your odds of having some of that forbidden (but apparently fun) sex; and makes the operation of motor vehicles more exciting than usual.

Theft vs. THEFT

My wife, the ever-practical, techno-Luddite asked," Well, Honey, is it really any different then when we used to make copies off of the radio, or with the VCR?"

I ranted about how it's too easy, being done blatantly, doesn't leave anything in the financial picture for the artists and so on. End result: I'm trying to sell an already-skeptical "audience" on the idea that "a little is ok, but too much is bad".

"Sure Dad, like sex or booze."

OR:

"OH! Uh, hi Dad. Why are you home from work so early?"

"Oh, I just stopped in since they had me out on the road today."

It's time-theft: I know it and they know it.

Adults in almost every occupation seem to enjoy stealing from their employers: office supplies, time, personal & long-distance phone calls, "sale discounts" given to friends, sleeping/drinking/smoking on the job, and of course, "surfing the Internet".

School truancy, shoplifting and the work avoidance techniques demonstrated by many youth should not be a surprise to us - they learned from the masters: US.

In My Humble Opinion: The parental challenge today is not in explaining about Adam and Eve, it's explaining Adam and Steve!

It's in explaining the why and the what of the long term consequences of those activities that adults' partake in, yet keep telling our youth to avoid.

We need to explain how things really work, what other people are really doing, and, if we are going to moralize, we better play the "devil's advocate" a little and discuss the logic others might use to defend their position.

Our adult credibility is already undermined by the times when we only told them half of the truth and they found us out. As they make the transitions toward adulthood our youth really need to know;" Is that your final answer?"