Apparently as churches have sought to be more seeker friendly we have been missing one of our greatest opportunities to impact society. Today was a reminder of how important it is for us to instill a sense of shame in todays youth.
Forget self-esteem, and character development. Shame is the key building block to the prolonged survival and health of any culture. I think it is time the church reinstated it's authority on the issues of social taboos. What is acceptable and what is not? At the very top of the list public make out sessions should be banned from parks.
Now I'm not talking about amusement parks. We all know those are a virtual meat market for the hormone induced teenager, and besides if you pay the astronomical entrance fees you should be able to do pretty much whatever you want. No, I am talking about parks where little children, and families gather to swing, and run, and play.
Today armed with snack cups, the diaper bag, and a pair of pink shoes, this daddy was pushing baby and stroller for a fun filled outing. My 16 month old girl, Nicki, was gobbling gold fish crackers and enjoying the fresh air. As we happened upon the park a few blocks from home, I was delighted to find it empty, leaving the whole place to ourselves.
Unfortunately this was short lived. The second I put Nicki into a swing we were accompanied by a teenage couple, obviously cutting classes to do "other things." With the whole park at their disposal they chose to sit right next to us on the swings. They quickly proceeded to start making out. My daughter was enthralled. I was mortified.
A few awkward seconds later and the girl pulled the guy off his swing, and said, "Let's go smoke by the Slide." My relief at their leaving was short lived. Now instead of giggles and kisses in my peripheral vision the slide put them into my direct line of sight. Not knowing where to look I tilted my head 30 degrees to the left and settled for a small patch of dirt.
I'm not sure what was happening. The girl may have been choking, but I've never seen mouth-to-mouth performed like that in any of the CPR classes I've attended. The only smoking I saw was caused by the friction of two tongues wrestling to get into the other person's mouth. I felt dirty, and I wasn't even doing anything.
We left the park.
Churches, please take a united stand against PDA's (public displays of affection) in your neighborhood parks. Otherwise we'll have to go door-to-door, collecting donations, and getting signatures for a petition. Then we'll need to involve the local neighborhood watch, and let's face it, nobody wants that.
