{"id":4611,"date":"2009-12-01T16:39:48","date_gmt":"2009-12-01T20:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncdata.wpengine.com\/?p=4611"},"modified":"2017-11-15T12:57:34","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T16:57:34","slug":"dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Shortchange Your Kids at Christmas, by Mychal Massie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Mychal<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n\n

Don’t Shortchange Your Kids at Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Mychal Massie (bio<\/a>)
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Christmastime is supposed to be a time of good cheer, but what I have to say about it will likely offend some and infuriate others. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More often these days, it’s a time dominated by the concern: “What do I get the kids for Christmas?”\u00a0 A lot of parents plaintively searching for things they can ill-afford and – in reality – their kids really don’t need.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, for those unable to differentiate between wasting money, overspending and what a child really needs, the quest is on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Children really need something substantive, and there is nothing more enduring than a fundamental understanding of what Christmas is about and the reason we celebrate it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas is about the birth of Christ.\u00a0 It is about the love of God for mankind.\u00a0 God sent His only Begotten Son, to be born of a virgin.\u00a0 Through His virgin birth, death and resurrection, we can have eternal life with Him if we confess, believe and accept Him in our hearts.<\/span><\/p>\n

But too many parents only seem willing to sit with their children to watch imbecilic TV programs than discuss Christmas Truths.\u00a0 They will take their kids to Wal-Mart and Target before they take them to church.\u00a0 Some do go to church – but not necessarily to learn of Christ.\u00a0 To them, it’s a Christmas obligation.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s all part of a larger problem of society being divided by educational preparedness.\u00a0 Children must be able to function on par levels to contribute to the continued devolvement of our nation’s intellectual ascendancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m not against toys and gifts, but I am against ignorance.\u00a0 If children cannot read, write, speak or interact beyond the immediate environs of their neighborhoods, how will they be able to contribute to our tomorrow?<\/span><\/p>\n

I was raised by a single mother who suffered an emotional breakdown when I was ten years old.\u00a0 Despite that, she never allowed her condition to excuse me from learning.\u00a0 I did not go without a toy, but the gifts I received – regardless of how basic – reinforced her belief in educational preparedness.\u00a0 They also came with the strict expectation that I excel academically.\u00a0 She and my grandmother set the bar high, and I was expected to respond.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, the bar generally seems to be lower.\u00a0 Children can repeat verbatim the words to dozens of stupid, worthless and – in many instances – vulgar, anti-social, misogynistic “rhymes” masquerading as music, but they have likely never read Charles Dickens or Mark Twain and or heard Bach or Brahms.<\/span><\/p>\n

My grandmother used to say: “An excuse is the easiest thing in the world to find.”\u00a0 Parents today must stop making excuses for underperforming children.\u00a0 And to those parents who thump their chests with pride because they have a bumper sticker proclaiming their child’s honor status, they owe it to themselves to check the quality of the schooling.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my office I have two old family photos – one from the mid\/late 1880s, and the other from 1900.\u00a0 One was born a slave, while the two in the other photo were born just after emancipation.\u00a0 I was told that my relatives in those photos were able to read and write.\u00a0 For that era, it was a true gift.<\/span><\/p>\n

Toys break, and the newest electronic and computer games seem obsolete minutes after they are purchased.\u00a0 A truly valuable gift is a bankbook and savings account for a child to contribute to regularly – and to which there are strict guidelines for withdrawal.\u00a0 Too few children understand the value of money and the need to save it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This Christmas, for those who choose not to share the Truth of Christmas, at least give children more than a video game or earrings.\u00a0 Give them something that, when they are older, they will still have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Books don’t break, and a penny saved is still a penny earned.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Don’t Shortchange Your Kids at Christmas by Mychal Massie (bio) Christmastime is supposed to be a time of good cheer, but what I have to say about it will likely offend some and infuriate others. \u00a0 More often these days, it’s a time dominated…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,60],"tags":[84],"yoast_head":"\nDon't Shortchange Your Kids at Christmas, by Mychal Massie - The National Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The National Center\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The National Center\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b8ca6710c21895f6ce418b5cc391bb6f\"},\"headline\":\"Don’t Shortchange Your Kids at Christmas, by Mychal Massie\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-12-01T20:39:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-15T16:57:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/\"},\"wordCount\":658,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/images\/massie_sm.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Project 21 Commentary\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Project 21\",\"Project 21 Commentary\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationalcenter.org\/ncppr\/2009\/12\/01\/dont-shortchange-your-kids-at-christmas-by-mychal-massie\/\",\"name\":\"Don't Shortchange Your Kids at Christmas, by Mychal Massie - 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