The mass nightmare I fear is the current polluted environment we have allowed to completely encompass our school aged children. To truly understand this environment entirely, allow me to first state these three individual nightmares completely and seemingly separate and distinct. However they collectively create the magnitude and far reaching influence of the environment I am referring to. I am not attempting to be an alarmist or simply trying to frighten you in the spirit of the season of Halloween. This environment is truly a nightmare and you too will experience its frightening effects sooner or later with your children.

The first nightmare I refer to doesn't sound all that frightening and it seems more of a pet-peeve rather than a real problem. Lately, I have noticed this happening whenever a news agency has the two major political parties on a talk-show to discuss and answer questions. When one side, and it truly doesn't matter which side, because they both do it, is asked to answer to something that they are either ashamed of or something they know will come across as negative to the majority of viewers; what do they do? They excuse their admittedly bad behavior, choice or action by pointing out something the other party has done or said wrong in the past. And just because the other side did this bad ‘thing’, their fault or blame isn't addressed separately as it should be. They hope it gets lost in the shuffle they have created. Worst yet, the news people continue to allow it and it turns into a 'he said-she-did-they thought they would do' type of argument and the main point gets lost in the whole carefully orchestrated and skillful executed shuffle of blame. Because this is purposely done to evade any blame or shame being put on them or ‘their side’ we as adults are forced to parse actions and verbiage just to be able to declare one side the victor, of the moment, just to have some sort of purpose and closure. We adults are left to raise our children to be good upstanding individuals in light of all the truly bad role model examples around them. What do we or should we do? What I wonder is in the midst of this type of dishonesty what type of good and uprightness are we parents referring to? Are we referring to the true traditional goodness or the newly constructed goodness of our clever political leaders doing the blame shuffle? If anyone thinks our kids can't see through this blame game shuffle, then they are not listening to our kid’s discussion whenever they think an adult is not present. Don’t we understand that if this type of dishonesty is allowed to continue and to exist as an example for our kids what ill effects it will have on them? What has happened to the days when our political leaders were the ‘cream of the crop’ and truly a positive role model for our children? Was it all a clever lie or do we have a ‘newer’ more serious problem on our hands? Someone needs to inform these political leaders that the phrase 'I'm sorry' when paired up and ended with the word BUT... null and voids the whole phrase. We aren't asking for them to be 'angels', just honest and forthright because they are a role model for children. Just because political party-A- did such and such, doesn't excuse political party-B's- wrong actions sometime in the near future!

My second nightmare is easy to quickly understand by most parents. The nightmare of students and/or lunatics going into our children's school and shooting the place up. This activity hasn't stopped with just ‘a few isolated incidents’ as the police and school leaders would have us to believe. No, it has continued to grow across the nation and has happen more often and in more ‘average’ types of schools. Where it would not have been a problem we have emulation want-a-be’s and copy-cats. It is truly frightening many parents into coming up with other means and methods to protect their children. What has our school board leaders come up with, other than having metal detectors and more security officer’s in our schools on Monday and Wednesdays? (BTW did you know that nothing bad ever happens on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday? Just Monday and Wednesdays!) The debate has gotten to the point, and this is what I am calling my second nightmare, where we are asking whether or not our teachers should be armed in order to protect their classrooms! Now just for the moment, remember back with me, what did the school board say to you when you suggested that you would home school your kids to put a stop to all this school violence being around your children? Don't you remember? Just incase you don't let me remind you. "Oh now, Mrs. Smith don't you think that this is a bit overdone? Don't you think that you giving up your day job and staying home with your children and teaching them is just a bit ‘old-fashioned’ and extreme? Okay, now, jump back to the present with me; but pistol packing teachers is less extreme and a more progressive of an idea and solution to school violence? I truly hope someone can comes up with a much better method to ending the majority of school violence other then by arming our teachers. Otherwise, there will be many more children home schooled, and less in the classroom to worry about who's armed and who isn't.

The third and final nightmare I wish to speak of also deals with our children’s school system. Towards the end of last year's school season, several school districts reported that several pre-teen's had been caught having sexual intercourse on their school bus on the way to school as well as on the way home. Do you remember hearing about this? When the other students on the bus were asked what they thought about the whole incident, it was reported that they replied with, "the couples (having sex) had been 'going out' for almost three or four months, so it just seems okay, I guess". After this truly disturbing revelation as to the mass morality of many school aged children; as well as in the light of how our politicians answer the tough questions, the kids went on to report that both of the couple’s parents were "real religious" and wouldn't allow that at either of their homes so... (Imagine that...) Now, keep this nightmare in mind and lets add to it this years recent school board reporting that several school districts out east have agreed that they will provide 10 and 11 year old girls with birth control pills and abortion counseling, all without the parents ‘direct’ permission! I say ‘direct’ because the school board stated that if a parent gave permission for the health worker to give their child an aspirin when needed, it was considered the same with regards to giving birth control or abortion counseling!

This is how I see our teen-age children handling the following ‘average daily’ situation in light of these three nightmares. The conversation might go something like this…

"Yes Mom and Dad I know I shouldn't have driven the family car home while I was so drunk last night; I'm sorry BUT... Because I didnt want to be home so late and cause you and Dad to worry sooo much, AND because my sister Susan was too busy having sex in the backseat with her boyfriend and wouldn’t even stop long enough to drive us home on time, and so yes, I did drive drunk, sorry BUT if only…"! Or any other unacceptable explanation to this same effect. Acceptable to you? Not to me either! Is this comical sounding to you? Not to me either, not by a long-shot!

However, what do you think they have learned by watching and listening to our cleverly, slippery politicians? Do you truly understand the collective magnitude and far reaching influence of the environment I am referring to now? Will our children do as is ‘acceptable’ today, or will they do as we raised them? Only time will tell because as far reaching as this destructive environment is, it is equally deceptive and loaded in favor of the school systems, not you and your child. So, as I was saying, I thought I was having nightmares, but then I realized that I wasn't asleep and I hope you aren’t either.