Perhaps 15 years back, I was taking a 400 level geology course at the local university.
It was summer quarter, so, of course, many local school teachers were taking the course.
During
class break, a primary school teacher used the term "demons from Hell" to refer to the expected new crop of first
graders starting in the fall.
I was surprised by such terminology, but even more so by the reaction
of the other teachers present -- which was NONE.
That is, "demons from Hell," was apparently
standard terminology.
I talked with one of the primary school teachers later.
She said, each new class of children starting school is worse than the one before, morally, socially, etc.
She mentioned one child whose Mother got a new "live-in boyfriend" and thus, they changed school districts,
putting the child in a new, strange school.
This apparently is by no means a rare event.
Of course all this kind of thing had a most unsettling affect on this child and countless others.
This teacher noted that many current societal practices wreak havoc on children.
In
our own family experience, I recall concerning our first child, my wife's daughter from before our marriage.
This is somewhat different than the above situation.
We had worked carefully with this
2.5 year old, and were pleased to be getting a good deal of cooperation and good behavior from her.
But things began to change for the worse, quite noticeable and quickly.
I looked outside
one morning and watched the play between her and the neighbor's boy of about the same age.
His
Dad called to him to come in -- his response was - NO!
I immediately realised
our daughter was with the wrong crowd.
We had not intended to put her in pre-school.
But, we immediately enrolled her in a Christian pre-school at a local church.
This solved
the problem -- getting her away from the wrong crowd.
We have, since, solved this same problem
with our children with homeschooling.
That is -- (1) NOT allowing them to be in the wrong
crowd, (2) bringing truth and good direction into their souls, through daily Bible reading, and (3) arranging for them to
have time and friendships with children and adults in good crowds.
We have done a low
to moderate amount of spanking, but not any more than this.
The New Testament Book of 1 Corinthians
15 says, regarding bad company:
33 Be not deceived: evil communications
corrupt good manners.
The King James word communications means
all forms of COMMUNING in the broadest possible sense.
It includes television,
movies, human relationships of all kinds, etc., etc.
Like the old principle - if you run
with the wrong crowd, you will go wrong.
We become like the people or media representations of
people, we are around.
Get around people who are going the right way. Have your kids do
the same.
