IAs I mentioned last week, we finished enough of our house addition to accommodate our growing family. Twenty-five were seated at the Christmas Eve dinner table with the littlest ones, numbers 26 and 27, drooling on dining room floor. With 12 grandchildren under the age of 10, opening presents was chaotic, but very interesting. There was one particular gift given to my grandson Grant, which told me America just might start a comeback; that is, until the ruling class of the government school system crushes this little boy’s zest for adventure. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, school does not discriminate against little girls, but it destroys little boys destined to be inventors, entrepreneurs or American patriots. They must have their imagination neutered so they fit the square hole of 50 minute class periods and color inside the lines with one of the eight endorsed colors. Little boys soon learn to sit still and submit to the prescribed education time slot or they will receive psychotropic drugs along with the ADHD label. I know this because I used to be a little boy; one who suffered in silence through 21 years of extreme boredom called education. I do have my doctorate and along with it comes a certain level of credibility, so all you childless adolescent psychologists, sit down, be quiet and consider a position purposely hidden from you during your formal indoctrination. Here was the scene at the Kerns house on Christmas morning.

Under the tree were the usual firearms and ammunition because nothing says freedom and self-preservation like gifting 12 gauge double barrel shotguns, but protecting inalienable rights gifted by our Creator are not my point. Various stuffed animals, books and electronic gadgets were opened and passed around, but when six-year-old Grant opened a small package from his great-grandfather, time screeched to a halt. Speechless, Grant froze and stared at the blue-handled Leatherman pocket knife balanced in his sweaty little hand. You could see his wheels turning and the look in his eye revealed he was about to set the world on fire and then put it out using his brand new pocket knife. No adventure was too thrilling or dangerous so as to not be subdued by a six-year-old wielding a Leatherman. His excitement was infectious.

Now let’s contrast Grant’s knife with the I-Pad his mother opened. Yes, against my best efforts, the Kerns family has been electronically infected and there are smart phones, lap tops and I-Pads in every corner of the house. Television is the only mind numbing device I have successfully held at bay. In a recent AP story, pediatricians raise the question how the electronic world might be damaging the development of the adolescent brain. It requires zero imagination for a four-year-old to mindlessly stare at an I-Pad, touch the screen and have colorful and vibrant images projected into the back of their brain. Unbeknownst to the child, hours pass as seconds while the creative centers of their brains are turned to mush. On the other hand, a pile of blocks, a stuffed animal, a pocket knife, a hatchet, a lariat, a cutting torch or an arc welder do nothing until the child engages his imagination; there is no point-and-click instant reward in these preferred gifts. This brings me to my point.
I understand there are times when an I-Pad in the lap of a toddler provides a distraction for a parent to put out the small brush fires erupting around the family kitchen table. I-Pads, smart phones and lap tops also offer an electronic window to the entire world’s knowledge if the operator has a mind creative enough to ask the right question. However, the government school system using I-Pads in the lower grades only creats a generation of unthinking, mind-numbed robots; the workforce of utopia as described in novels like “1984”, “Brave New World” and “Agenda 21”. Do you see the relationship between I-Pads and Common Core?

Perhaps your school district has already launched into this insanity, so your choice as a parent or taxpayer is limited. However, in your home you should still be the controlling authority, so limit your child’s time on the I-Pad. Even better, give them a pocket knife and ask them to cut the cord off the television. You will be doing America a big favor.