What Our Kids See
To the editor:
The population of our town is 4,667. We pride ourselves on being small. Life moves a little slower. You see people you know each time you go to the grocery store, the gas station, or the Dairy Queen. Community is important to us. We know our neighbors and stop to say hello to them. We are unlike large urban areas in many ways. We are far from Los Angeles, New York, or Washington D.C. Our values are different, we claim, but how different are they? How long will we maintain our smalltown values if we continue to be consumed with what is happening in Washington D.C. or other places rather than focus on the good life we have right in front of us?
My son just graduated kindergarten. He is learning how to read, and he enjoys telling us what all the signs say as we drive down the road. This used to be a fun and innocent practice that many families have cherished over the years. However, in our small town, some have adopted the practice of flying flags with four-letter words on them. These people are upset at Washington, and they want everyone to know. They proudly fly their vulgarities for all to see. One such flag flew almost directly across from our home. We passed it each morning on our way to school. Another flag flies right off the highway that goes through our town. People who know nothing about our town are greeted with a word that is not allowed on radio or television as they pass by. I now have to tell an excited six-year-old boy that we cannot repeat all the words we see. He doesn't understand, and I wish we were not having this conversation at this age.
We live in a free country. People are free to fly vulgarities if they want. It doesn't make it right, but it is a freedom we have. However, it may be worth considering what kind of values we want for our town. Do we want to keep our small-town values or let them fade away? Do we want to bring the nastiness of Washington to our small town? Do we want it to shape how we live and treat one another? Do we believe in Christian values, or is Christian just a label we toss around without caring for the ethics and beliefs that go along with it?
No one in Washington will ever see the flags in our small town, but I know of a whole class of kindergartners that will see them and read them. It makes me sad. The flags will not change Washington, but they have certainly changed our small town.
Scott Elliott
La Grange