A View From A Pew: Father Help Our Children

The commodores said it best in their song, "Jesus is Love" .."Father help our children".

Let me tell you something about these kids today — some of y’all are letting these children get away with way too much. I stood in the grocery store the other day and watched a little boy tell his mama, “No.” And she just stood there — blinking like her brain was buffering. I almost came out of retirement right there in aisle four. Folks must’ve forgotten — I was outside before Instagram. I still got hands, and I don’t play.

Back in my day, if you told your mama “No,” you’d be picking your teeth up with “Yes, ma’am.” We didn’t have timeouts — we had knockouts. And somehow, we grew up respectful, disciplined, and knew how to say “please,” “thank you,” and “good morning.” We had both a sense of humor and a sense of fear — the kind that kept you alive and in line.

Now, these young folks record everything. Every. Little. Thing. Somebody crying? That’s content. Somebody trips? That’s a reel. Grandma nods off at the cookout? Boom — viral. We used to live life; now they upload it. Nobody’s living in the moment anymore — they’re chasing the next moment they can post.

And then they wonder why they’re broke! You can’t eat out four times a week, spending $20 on fast food, and tip $10 on a $9 latte and still expect to have money left. Cook something! Back then, we could stretch a pot of beans for three days and still have enough left to bless the neighbor.

Work ethic? Whew, Lord. This generation thinks a part-time job is a double shift. I know folks who worked two jobs for 30 years, raised kids, mowed their grass, and still made it to choir rehearsal. These kids will work a job for two weeks and then take a trip to the islands with their friends and never return to work.

And discipline? Gone. They want to negotiate. I heard a five-year-old say, “Let’s talk about this.” What is there to talk about? When I was five, mama didn’t negotiate — she dictated. And if you tried to debate, you met “The Board of Education,” applied directly to “the seat of understanding.”

Now, some of these fathers… Lord help ‘em. They’ve got closets full of Jordans but can’t afford their kid’s field trip let alone a computer. Sneakers don’t make you a man — standing up for your children does.

And cooking? Don’t get me started. DoorDash knows these families better than the grandparents do. Some kids think “home-cooked” means the driver rang the doorbell.

Speaking of grandparents — somehow, we’ve become the weekend babysitters. Friday through Sunday, it feels like I’m running Hotel Grandparents. I didn’t sign up for the reboot! But here I am, packing lunchboxes, watching cartoons, and praying nap time hits before my knees do.

Boundaries? Nonexistent. I’ve seen toddlers act like it’s open mic night — talking back, throwing iPads like Frisbees. If I ever threw a toy in my mama’s house, I’d have been buried with it.

And don’t get me started on common sense. They Google everything. “How do I know if my baby’s hungry?” How about… feed him? Everything doesn’t need a YouTube tutorial. Some things just take a little thought and a whole lot of upbringing.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I love this generation. They’re smart, creative, and bold. They can build a business on their phone and teach themselves a trade on TikTok. But sometimes I wish they’d put the phone down and pick up some wisdom, some common sense Because while they’re scrolling for answers, some of us old-school saints already learned those lessons — the hard way — through living, not logging on.

So, Lord, give me patience — and maybe the Wi-Fi password, so I can pray about it online.

Moral from the Pew:
Every generation thinks the next one has lost its way, but truth be told, they’re just finding a different road. Our job isn’t to sit on the porch and complain — it’s to guide with love, laughter, and a little old-school wisdom. Because even in a world full of apps and algorithms, nothing will ever replace the power of experience, discipline, and grace wrapped in a good sense of humor.