Reason Number 14

Did you hear this survey that was splashed all over the news last night? High school aged teens were surveyed on their own ETHICS. And their ideas of ethical behavior was messed up.

The Josephson Institute in LA published the 2008 Report Card of Ethics of American Youth. see:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5heO49If8cVynFgMZMsjn0jX52ywg Very disturbing. Almost 30, 000 kids were surveyed and while 93% claimed they were satisfied with their own personal ethics:

• 78% of public school kids (while 83% of private and parochial school kids) admitted to lying to their parents about "something significant".
• 64% admitted to cheating on a test at school and 38% said they'd done that more than once.
• 30% admitted to stealing something from a store in the last year, with boys slightly higher here with 35% copping to that while only 26% of girls did.

This got under my skin yesterday. Honesty used to be a hallmark of character. Apparently now, it is missing in action. How can these kids surveyed settle themselves with this type of admitted behavior and still think they are "satisfied with their personal ethics"??

What is wrong with us as parents? Is this what our behavior is teaching our kids? Are we modeling for them what we expect, or is it more along the lines of what we can get away with? I find it all very sad.

I think I have stressed INTEGRITY with my kids from the time they were little. We try to be very open with them, so that when mistakes are made--and they are by all of us--we can talk about it and make changes to improve. That is the whole point of the Gospel, isn't it? We learn, we try, we make mistakes, we change, we get better. And Christ allows us to improve.

Honesty is one of the Big 10 Commandments, right? So why does it sound so off the radar for these kids? It's too bad society has fallen so far from living the "Big 10" that the concepts are beginning be lost on our youth. There will be worse to come from these newbies with this kind of foundation.

My thought here is that this is just another reason to love the Gospel, to live the Gospel and to share the Gospel. I love that I can choose to live an ethically straight life and have no guilt about it--now or when I'll face God someday. I'll just have to focus of the benefits I have with the Gospel in my life and emphasize the values it teaches. And be grateful for that.