Some time ago I wrote about what my thoughts were concerning
suicide in our youth and
school shootings. There were eight points that I made with several pointing out our disengaged
relationships with our kids, and social media and electronic gaming saturation.
With the holidays coming quickly at us I thought I might revisit some of
the points made in that prior blog and give some more suggestions.
The holidays are for family and friends to come together and share. That
sharing can come in the form of gifts, food, favors and your time. It
is my belief that your time is most valuable. If we give a gift of time
it shows our kids, family and friends that they are important to us. Everyone
wants to feel important. Do not invite people into your world only to
have your or their noses stuck in a game, phone, or internet device. Not
only would that be rude, but it also teaches our children that other people
need attention, as do they, and that time spent together can have a very
positive effect.
I talked about spirituality in the past. This time of year has several
opportunities to praise and worship together. In my youth my family and
I had a couple wonderful rituals that still stick with me several decades
later. Develop person-to-person rituals with your children—like
attending midnight service, one gift on Christmas Eve, relatives over
for Thanksgiving, and the like. Not only will they grow to look forward
to these events but they will grow spiritually and remember these times
fondly. I mentioned before that I am Christian and have been since I can
remember. Many other spiritual systems also celebrate during the coming
months, and science has shown that prayer and meditation have profound
positive effects on ones wellbeing.
We spend an awful lot on electronics for our kids. This does not even count
stuff they already have. Limit their time on these devices, not only during
the holidays but from then on. It’s not good for kids to have their
noses stuck in a device, ignoring everything around them, and science
has shown that these devices or games can interfere with sleep, desensitize,
and disallow the recharging they need from texting, e-mailing, snap chatting,
Facebook, etc.
Our children are important and we can impact the way they grow and survive
a world that is getting more and more tenuous. We cannot make it more
complicated by allowing the electronics, isolation, dysfunction and lack
of spirituality to determine their or our fate because we buy into the
thought that our society is advancing.
The tragic suicides and shootings would suggest that the advancement touted
in the media is not worth the cost to our families.
Jeff Rice is the director of Campbell County Health
Behavioral Health Services at Campbell County Memorial Hospital. Behavioral Health Services provides
the Northeastern Wyoming community with compassionate, confidential and
comprehensive treatment of behavioral disorders, mental illness and substance
abuse treatment following detox. Appointments are available Monday–Friday
from 8 am–5 pm. Call 307.688.5000 or visit
www.cchwyo.org/BHS.