Recently, I was reminded of the lost innocence our children face in todays society. Typically I do not watch "America's Got Talent" but I found myself watching a five minute video Facebook was trending. It was of a 12 year old girl who had her hair in a cute bob with bangs, a navy sweater and neon yellow pants. This little girl was, Grace VanderWaal. She walked on stage with a bright smile and a glow that lit up the room.
While she was standing on this platform with her ukulele, The Judges began talking to her and asking questions. Curious about who she was and why she was there, one of the judges named, Simon Cowell, asked her, "Are the people behind you at school supporting you?" and her response was, "most of my friends do not know I sing." Wow.
As she began to play her original song in which was about her, the audience was taken over. People were caught off guard and even one of the judges lifted his head in amazement. Grace's lyrics were captivating and captured everyone in the room. It was hard not to hold back clapping and tears, even if you were at home watching. Hearing the lyrics to her tune stirred feelings within me that could not be tamed. I was devastated.
Grace's original song, "I Don't Know My Name" was about herself. It explained Identity and trying to figure out who you are.
I began to think, Why is someone so young facing an Identity crisis? I was in high school before I truly understood identity and what it was. Why did most of her friends not know she sang? What was keeping them from knowing such a beautiful talent and gift? I continued to ask myself questions.
You get the point and It doesn't apply just to Grace VanderWaal.
What happened to our youth?
I have found myself noticing more and more innocence being taken away from todays generation. With the rise of social media and communications, our youth is being exposed to stuff that they should not have to be exposed to until you can no longer hide it anymore.
Sex, drugs and alcohol, partying, porn, materialism, body image, and self esteem are just a few of the struggles I notice youth juggling.
The television shows we are allowing children to watch are exploited with crude jokes and violence. The addictions we have with our telephones and electronics has passed down onto our children and they thrive and cling to their Ipads and cellphones.
I am not blaming anyone and I know each family is different but what happened to the good ol' days.
I was exposed to drugs when I was in middle school but the understanding and knowledge of the substance did not come until I was a sophomore in high school. Clothing was not a big deal because I knew that I was more focused on having fun with my friends. My weight did not matter because no one knew what "the perfect body" was at 10 years old. Cellphones didn't exist and wouldn't even compare to Nintendogs.
Life was full of innocence. There was no worry in the world. Now, some kids are struggling with anxiety and depression in todays world!
My heart is saddened to know that we cannot protect our youth as much as we should but as our society is growing the harder it will be. I am crushed knowing we can't always protect our young and that they have to grow up at some age.
Innocence is a special thing. Why can't we fight to keep it safe as long as we can?
