I have watched the movie, “Home Alone,” countless times at Christmas, and this Christmas was no exception.  As I was watching it, a question began emerging in my mind.  Do we short-change our children in preparing them for serious things that may happen to them and how to respond to those situations?  In the movie, a family forgets that Kevin is sleeping in the attic for the night before the family leaves for a vacation in France.  They fly all the way to France before they realize Kevin is still at home.  A fluke accident, maybe, but shouldn’t every child be accounted for before you leave on a vacation?  We send our children to school to hopefully grow into mature adults, but are we giving them what they need to survive a pandemic, a loss of a job, a marriage break-up, an emotional or psychological upheaval,  the racial issues of our country, or the violence that pervades our society?  It’s snowing again and maybe that’s coloring my 69 years, 47 of which were teaching music, but have I really taught my students, my own grand children, what they need to survive in an uncertain world?

Thanks to the “creative pay-backs” of an excellent writer, Kevin survived a house robbery and the acts of criminals to rescue his own home, but how many children have the abilities to thoroughly thwart robbers?  How many children could actually protect themselves from those who wish them harm?  What parents put their children first before their own needs?

The answer to these questions is in how we teach our children to love, to care for others, and to remember that what we do for ourselves really affects the safety and welfare of our families, our neighbors, and our communities.  The old adage, “There is no “I” in the word “team,” really shows us how to respect others and their property.  This adage is really what matters in our lives.  If we haven’t taught our children to love, both themselves and others, we haven’t done our job as parents, as teachers, and as government officials.  We all know that as beautiful as new-fallen snow is, it shortly turns black and dirty from the darkness of the world.  It’s our job to help our children walk their paths, no matter how ugly those paths may become.

I believe there are three types of people in this world: those who believe by faith, those who believe after seeing Jesus Christ in others, and those who have no idea what it’s like to be loved by Jesus Christ and who do not want anything to do with Him.  Kevin was taught how to believe, how to show love to those who are less fortunate, and how to courageously fight evil when he sees it.  Through the years, the fallen snow on my front and back yards has eventually turned brown and melted away, but there has always been the renewal of spring and God’s love to help me know He is very much a part of my life.  He has used my 47 years of teaching students to help them realize that they are not alone, even when, as in the movie, they are left alone at home.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I hope and pray that the governments of the world will strive to keep their children as their number one priority.  Even if our children make mistakes and most will, we need to continue to support them and to give them all of the survival skills necessary to be able to survive in a world where many fail.  Maybe not in my time, but I want my children to have a more abundant life than I have ever had, the right to breathe fresh air, the right to be their “best” selves, the right to be just kids, and the right to know Jesus Christ.  Otherwise, what was my purpose here on earth?

Anna Hartt