Too soon old
As I work in a school full of children ranging in age from three-years-old to graduating young adults, and as I raise two elementary children of my own, it is plain to see the pressure on them to mature before their time. But as parents, we don’t want to saddle our young ones with the burdens, complexities, and ugliness of this world. Just as soldiers experience the horrors of war so that the rest of us do not, we as parents want to protect our young ones from the disturbing things they might see or hear around them. But, our world is fighting hard against us. The entertainment industry is preaching to us, and one of their favorite storylines is children dealing with very adult issues (often putting the dopy adults to shame). These shows are born out of a philosophy and have an agenda, and our children are consequently encouraged to act in a way that is said to be "older" but is actually more foolish. Advertisers also have an agenda--to get their consumers hooked early, while they are still children. And, pornographers are actively using today’s technology to do the same.
Here’s some ways our youth are trying to be “too soon old:”
- Seeking the independence found in a smart phone and its unrestricted access to the Internet
- Wanting to know what's happening in the latest season of Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, so they can talk about it at school.
- Talking about boyfriends and girlfriends long before they're ready to make a responsible commitment or know how to handle their pubescent feelings.
- Dressing provocatively (the deliberate marketing of this to our youth is intense!)
To be fair, we cannot blame our entertainment culture for all of this. There is an inner human desire, an echo of Adam’s first sin, that longs to know in order to be like God. Against this, too, we must fight to preserve the innocence of our children’s youth. That is why parental discipline is in fact a loving thing.
Too old smart
I believe the meaning of the proverb is best conveyed by the word wisdom, and the lament is not having it until it is of little use. Therefore, we do want to teach wisdom early, so that our children learn to make good choices. We want to teach them how to ask thoughtful and caring questions, acknowledge with humility when they don’t know, seek understanding before judging, repent for wrongs committed, and wisely avoid the snares of this world. We want to teach them these things as early as they are able. On the other hand, we do not want our children to learn wisdom the hard way, after a series of misadventures, failures, and heartbreak. If I may indulge in one exhortation: Parents, don’t expect college to teach your children wisdom; teach them now.
Here at Trinity, we make a deliberate and concerted effort to fight against the trend this Dutch proverb describes. Our mission, our values, the teachers we hire, the policies we write, and the culture we labor to maintain ... all guide us in teaching the wisdom of ages while preserving (and enjoying!) the innocence of youth.
In Christ,
Stephen Sprague
Headmaster
“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ... So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
1 Kings 3:7-9