My response to freedomtribe's truth challenge. Really love this one. It brought up a lot for me on a topic I think about a lot.
There are many terrible lies in our world right now. I mean, how do we even pick from the vast mound of garbage we are fed? I want to focus on the multitude of lies we tell about children and parenting. Lies about birth, babies, their needs, and motivations. Then the load of awful parenting advice to leave babies to cry, to punish toddlers viciously, to force them to go against their natural instincts, to shove unnecessary crap in their mouths and brains. Then the tragedy that is modern education. It's hard to even know where to start. It's just all wrong. It doesn't follow anything we know about how kids learn or even how to maintain basic psychological health. Then somehow it's all the kid's fault when they have no clue how to manage their lives after being told what to do every minute of every day for 18 solid years.
There are lies all along. How birth happens isn't important. Babies don't need to have their mothers. Motherhood isn't valuable. Babies are manipulative. It's more important to work. Parenting is just a side gig. You have to send your kid to preschool, school, after school, and a hundred athletic and extra curricular activities or else they'll be a failure. No time for play. Kids are dumb and irresponsible. You gotta ride their ass all the time. A good education equals a good job. Hard work results in success. And of course: this generation is so … (lazy, stupid, irresponsible, etc.).
High time we value parenting and children, don't you think?!
The Lies of Childhood
Big breath
Unbearable pain
Where's the sweet rhythm? The water? The sweet voice?
Cold, strange, loud voices
Poking, prodding
Where's the sweet, warm milk?
Where's the one with the milk?
What's a schedule?
Why don't they come when I cry?
Why are there all these other screaming ones?
Where's their milk?
What is work?
What is manipulating?
I'm so cold, lonely, hungry.
Why is he hurting me?
He doesn't like my picture on the wall.
Why do I have to be still?
Why do I have to eat things I don't like?
Why do I have to go to school?
Why can't I just play?
Why am I stuck inside all the time?
Why can't I learn what I want?
Why are my passions not important?
Why is art pointless?
Why are the things I like a waste of time?
Why do I have to be with mean kids?
Why do I have to get up so early?
Why doesn't anyone listen to me?
Why aren't my ideas valid?
Why does my voice go unheard?
Why does no one respect me?
Why doesn't anyone trust me?
Weight training
School
Debate club
Swim practice
Karate
Quick dinner
Homework, homework, homework
Four hours sleep
Exhausted, anxious, depressed, disinterested
Robotic
Breathless.
More pain.
Deeper pain.
Lost. Alone.
Tomorrow I'm on my own
Bags are packed
But I know nothing
About who I am
Or what I want
Or how to express myself
Or trust
Or find my own way
Or communicate
Or pay my bills
Or cook
Or change a tire
Or stay out of debt
I'm such a failure.