Kids: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

When I was a kid I LOVED school. It was a big, giant hangout for my friends and I. It was consistent. I knew where I was going, when I was going, and who I was going with. It was fun.

When I was a kid I didn’t attend church, so I can’t speak to that. However, what I’ve seen over the past few years, in terms of kids and students in church, is quite similar to what happens to kids in school.

For the first few years of school I’d be willing to bet MOST kids love school. They get up. They get ready. They WANT to get going and get around their best friends (because back then EVERYONE is your best friend). They love it. They want it. They enjoy it. I see the same thing in the church. The kids have fun. They enjoy getting around one another. They love their teachers (and all the animal crackers and goldfish). But then something changes…

I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s been something that has puzzled me from a LONG time. I initially went to school studying to become a teacher. I received my degree in Elementary Education with every intention of getting a job somewhere, at some school, to make a difference in the lives of kids. And all through school, and ever since, I haven’t been able to figure out what it is or what happens, but something changes inside these kids. Their perspective changes. It flip-flops. Whereas once they were in LOVE with school, eventually most start to despise it. They no longer want to go. They like their friends, but no longer like the school or their teacher. They don’t want to do homework.

Why?
Where’s the disconnect?
What happens?

Then I look in the church and see kids growing and changing and evolving into teenagers (or de-evolving…) and I see a similar pattern. The animal crackers become stale. The goldfish aren’t cheesy enough. The child who once asked and begged to go now stands as the student who smirks at the thought of going.

What happened?

Do they lose interest or are we less interesting?
Do they lose the desire to go or do we stop giving them a reason to come?

What is it?

When it comes to this topic I don’t have answers; I only have questions. Why write about it then? Why? Because this is a generation we can’t afford to lose. Every child you see and come across IS the future. They’ll be the ones running things. They’ll be the ones in charge. I hope to raise some bit of awareness. If we’re not careful we’ll lose them. We only have a few short years to truly influence our kids before they seek out answers from friends, from TV, and from the internet.

What are you doing to reach the younger generation? What are you doing to grab and hold their attention?