Think About These

Times are changing, maybe faster than we want. Have you ever stoped to think how different the world is for today's kids than it was for us. Every year Beloit College provides a "Mindset List" which provides a look at the cultural changes that shape the lives of students entering college that fall. The most recent listed 75 items but I am only sharing 26 with you. I also shared these with our Awana staff as a reminder of what is true in the lives of the kids we work with. Think about these.

1. The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports. ... 2. There have always been at least two women on the Supreme Court ... 3. Refugees and prisoners have always been housed by the U.S. government at Guantanamo. ... 4. Their school's "blackboards" have always been white and are getting smarter. 5. "Don't touch that dial!"...what dial? ... 6. American tax forms have always been available in Spanish. ... 7. Amazon has never been just a river in South America. ... 8. Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you're talking about LeBron James. ... 9. There has never been an official Communist Party in Russia. ... 10. Video games have always had ratings. ... 11. Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief. ... 12. Women have always been kissing women on television. ... 13. Fake Christmas trees have always outsold real ones. ... 14. Unlike their older siblings, they spent bedtime on their backs until they learned to roll over. ... 15. Music has always been available via free downloads. ... 16. Grown-ups have always been arguing about health care policy. ... 17. Sears has never sold anything out of a Big Book that could also serve as a doorstop. ... 18. No state has ever failed to observe Martin Luther King Day. ... 19. Public schools have always made space available for advertising. ... 20. Charter schools have always been an alternative. ... 21. Major League Baseball has never had fewer than six divisions and never lacked a wild card entry in the playoffs. ... 22. They won't go near a retailer that lacks a website. ... 23. When they were 3, their parents may have battled other parents in toy stores to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo while they lasted. ... 24. McDonalds coffee has always been just a little too hot to handle. ... 25. They've often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace. ... 26. Most have never read my blog!