The Next American Idol

Has anybody here seen my old friend T.I.? Can you tell me where he's gone? Or, how about Michael, Britney, or Lindsey; can you tell me where they have gone? Even our buddy, and what a role model he is, Kid Rock has made a recent trip to the pokey after a little fight at the old Waffle House. What has happened to these people who are idolized by kids all over our country and the world for that matter? One hero after another just keeps falling to the wayside. What could be happening here? According to who you talk to, they have been falsely accused, or they have been a victim of celebrity hood, or in some cases they have just simply been misunderstood. Or could it possibly be that they were never heroes at all? And, if they were ever heroes; somewhere along the way we sure have changed the definition of the word.



Every day I watch our kids as they continue to slip into a level that is far from what their parents had planned on. And every day I listen to these parents as they wring their hands and talk about how they just don't understand what went wrong. Many times these comments are made in the presence of the kid. And after one look at the kid, the parents are the only ones that are apparently confused about what had happened to their children. Typically the kid has more piercings than a side show artist at the local carnival. They hold their pants up with one hand and try to mimic their favorite rap artist with the other hand during their conversation. Every word or expression has a gesture that goes with it. I worry if they talk too fast, we will know more about their choice of underwear than we ever wanted to. Many of them have multiple tattoos and talk in a language that sounds more like a rhyme than a rational or logical expression of thought. It is clear that these kids are the bi-product of role models that should have never been role models to start with.



Don't get me wrong. All of us enjoy our favorite musicians, athletes, and celebrities. There is nothing wrong with that, no matter what age you might be. But, it is important that we monitor what our kids are listening to and what they are watching during their informative years. And, by the way Mom and Dad, the informative years do not end with Barney. If what they see and hear is inappropriate, which a large majority of what is out there today is, it is up to the parents to put a rating warning on the act. It is called NWIH. Without using ugly language, the first three words are "no way in