Freak Dancing at Cotillion? Dirty Dancing the movie? OH MY! Elvis!

Here is the latest article. I'm finding, liberals being manipulative right and left, conservatives being prudish and parents being SHOCKED at what they see when kids get together.

The dances are a reflection of today. If you think, for one moment that your kids are not exposed to this every single day you are so blinded by naivety that I doubt you're even reading this article.

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Turn on MTV and watch one of the shows for a few minutes. Let's face it...TV does influence children and adults alike. We can prove at least one instance of this because students majoring in crime investigations has skyrocketed since shows like Law & Order and CSI have been popular.

Exactly what's on MTV is exactly what your kids face every single day when they go to hang out with their peers. Take the "Real World" for example. There are couples getting together, cheating on each other, fights over it, blatant scenes of couples having sex, nudity that is considered fun, drinking, some drug use in the background...The "Real World" is a group that represents what really does happen in every day life and your children are exposed to it every day.

Are you surprised? How do I know? Not only do I coach teenagers, I was a teenager. Sure it was awhile ago but the things we went through, teen pregnancy, kids having abortions, kids with drinking problems, drug problems, gang problems...all of that is only slightly worse now from the snapshots of when I was in school compared to the snapshots I'm seeing daily; right now.

This freak dancing is no different that the reaction to "Dirty Dancing" the movie or Elvis shaking his hips on TV.

People say that this all new and that MTV can be blamed for it or TV or the media or whatever. Is it so new? Take Madam Holland from France back in the early 1800's. By all accounts she was one of the best looking women of her time and, though she was part of a not-so-influential marriage that created a not-so-influential Lordship during Napoleon's time, she was well known for using her charm to her advantage. This is just one example off the top of my head.

As for the men...it was virtuous for them to marry kids they picked out from 12-16 years of age when they themselves were well into their 30's and 40's? Really?

People have a tendency to think that the past was always better. Not too long ago, ladies, you couldn't vote. Remember that? Not too long ago your responsibilities were inside the house...you weren't a part of politics, you were oppressed. Remember that? Of course you don't remember but your parents and grandparents do. Ask them: Was that was better?

Have you ever been around a college student who was denied TV, candy, soda, and movies while they were being raised? Every student I know who has ended up watching TV and movies non-stop while gorging themselves on candy and soda. It's the same thing in this instance. Kids feel as if they are oppressed and there is safety and strength in numbers. When they get together they act out on things they feel they are oppressed from but want to experience.

I'm not saying this is OK. Any athlete I've coached knows I'm a stickler for that NOT happening on my watch. I have many stories but the strongest one to make my point is this:

We had a star player, leading scorer, best defender, who got a serious boyfriend her Jr. year. He was about the same age (that matters...believe me). She went from focused on school and sports to 100% focused on him. I kept them split up to the extreme because, as you'll soon find out when you are around kids who act like this (or as you know from being truly in love the first time) I knew that they were way to serious and things can happen on school sponsored trips very easily.

Her parents went nuts. "It's not that big of a deal" blah, Blah, BLAH. They tried to fight with me tooth and nail over this, despite it being a clearly written school policy.

The parents said, "Let the kids be together" and (I absolutely swear I didn't make this up) "We want our kids to experience love at an early age". She missed a late summer camp because she didn't want to be away from her boyfriend. She showed up to school pregnant. She got an abortion for many reasons one of which, she claimed, was to stay on the team her Sr. year.

That's one of the more mild experiences from that same year. You wouldn't believe the rest of the story, everyone I've told is disgusted and simply can't believe it.

This is happening today. Right now. As time goes by it may get worse, it may get better. Walk through the hallways of your child's school sometime, talk to the coaches and the teachers about this situation and you will find that you should have known this long before the cotillion dance in Anchorage, Alaska.

So, what to do about this crazy dancing? I think they are on the right track. More security, people with more authority with deeper consequences than "Joe's parents". I think, though, that the dance should be video taped from 4 angles and that one person should be in charge of packing a camera. That way you can take the tapes directly to the parents. You will find though, that MOST PARENTS DO NOT CARE. If they truly cared, their kids wouldn't be acting like that in the first place.

One of the problems will be that while they won't have the problems at the cotillion dance, the kids will not stop their activities unless their parents get involved. They will continue their actions after the dance anyway. Guaranteed.

As for the under age drinking, this is nothing new. No one should be surprised about this. I know that there are parties going on in parents' houses right now (being it is a Saturday) where kids are getting into the liquor stash. One parents' way of dealing with teenage drinking was to ground their kids to the house and then go to work...so the party ended up at their house and pictures surfaced on MySpace. GENIUS.

Copyright Findawish.com
02-24-07