A teen-aged boy says to his dad, "John's older brother is home from college and he's throwing a big party for the guys. Can I go?" His dad replies, "I don't care."
A young girl asks her mother, "Mom, can I go across the street and play with Mary?" Her mom replies. "I don't care."
Have you heard similar conversations? I sure have. What message does this send? What grows from this seed that's planted?
I absolutely despise the phrase "I don't care". What do you mean you don't care? What you're telling that little girl is "What you do doesn't matter to me." What you're telling that teen-aged boy is "I don't care what happens to you." What you're saying is "You are not important to me." Is this the message that we want to give our children? Really? You don't matter to me?
If they've heard it once, the chances are that they've heard it many more times. You learn things through repetition. Remember how you learned the alphabet as a child? It was through repetition. Remember how you learned the multiplication tables? It was through repetition. How will a child learn that he's not valued? By hearing "I don't care" repeatedly.
What is sad is that I see this carried into adulthood. The seed that was planted in the child has grown into a weed in the adult's life. They've become apathetic. They don't care. They don't take pride in their work. They don't take pride in their relationships. Ultimately, they have no pride in themselves.
Do you see people like this around you? How about the co-worker that just doesn't get the job done right? There's always some loose ends that someone else has to tie up, or the quality of work just falls short of what was required. What about the friend that does a little dance while back-peddling after being caught in a lie? Kids that constantly hear "I don't care" turn into adults that don't care.
So how is this changed?
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