My wife and I went on a brief shopping excursion today and, as has become commonplace over the last few years, we saw two young girls posted, like sentries, outside the store. The girls, were cheerleaders from a local high school and were collecting donations in support of their squad. While these young ladies were polite and respectful, it bothered me that some adults who run youth programs apparently think that panhandling is an appropriate way to raise money.
Thinking back to when I was in high school, I remember participating in multiple fundraisers, but the adults who ran these programs never asked me to panhandle. Instead, we washed cars, did yard work, sold candy bars etc. In other words, we had to earn the money. Looking back, those adult leaders were not only helping us kids raise money for our programs but they were teaching us a valuable lesson; hard work is directly proportional to worthwhile accomplishment.
We live in a time of backwards priorities. Instead of teaching the kids the value of hard work, we teach them to panhandle. Instead of teaching them how to deal with losses and setbacks, we say that "everyone is a winner" and deny them the opportunity to build strength. Instead of correcting kids who give the wrong answers or engage in wrong behaviors, we worry so much about their self esteem that we fail to prepare them for the real world.
I hope the cheerleaders we saw today, as well as all the baseball players, football players and other participants in youth programs raise the money they need, but more importantly, I hope they are not denied the chance to grow into responsible adults.
By: Scott Watson
