The Optimist

Hannah Weigle

Feature Editor

With technology making it easier to access news on a daily basis, Americans find themselves bombarded with if-it-bleeds-it-leads news stories.  This constant flow of information on the negative aspects of the world leads to people who worry all the time, and live in fear of what might be coming around the corner.  Although it would be naïve to say that there are not imposing dangers out there, the reason why people feel as though the world is completely evil and that any second they could find themselves plummeting to their doom or caught in some bizarre scenario, is because the only types of stories they ever hear about are the bad ones.  The front page of almost any newspaper will boast its latest story on a kidnapped child, a murdered teenager, or a burned down building.  Here is some real news for you: the world is just as dangerous now as it always has been, and probably always will be.  People only think it is becoming increasingly dangerous because 50 years ago the news people received was always local; if something bad happened in L.A. it would rarely make headlines in Bloomington.
      One might wonder how a parent’s obsession with the possibility of something bad happening may affect a kid’s wellbeing.  Older generations had much more freedom to go where they wanted as long as they were home for dinner by the time the street lights came on.  A large percentage of kids today can only walk to the end of their driveways even while equipped with their cell phones, for fear they may be abducted by some stranger offering them candy.  Although many people assume abduction rates are going up, Lenore Skenazy shows in her book Free-Range Kids, they have actually remained level over the years at about one in 1.5 million.  A child would be more likely to be struck by lightning (one in 280,000 according to the National Lightning Safety Institute) than kidnapped.
        There are other parental acts that may seem subtle but in reality are far from it.  Many parents are obsessed with cleaning their houses for fear that their child may catch some virus from a germ their 99.99% effective Lysol left behind, or making their children drink bottled water just in case the tap water is not quite as clean.  But what they don’t know is they may be destroying their child’s immune system; when the child finally does come in contact with a germ, he will become much sicker than they would have if he were exposed to ordinary germs on a daily basis. 
      Psychotherapist Julie Lohrmann, Ph.D., who has been working with individuals and couples for 21 years, said that this type of obsessively fearful behavior in parents “sends the message to the child that the world is a dangerous place.”  These children can “lean toward more obsessive tendencies, and that’s where there’s excessive hand washing and OCD and on a less extreme level, an anxious child who can’t relax.”  Lohrman said “I think if a parent is more mindful that we aren’t living with the end of the world around the corner then the child is definitely more at ease,” and later added “I can understand why parents have these concerns because there are things going on but we have to take the bad with the good.”
 The point of this article is not to tell people how to clean their houses, but simply reminding people to chill out.  Yes, there are any number of bad things that could happen, but there are also just as many good things.  As you read the newspaper, surf the web, or watch the TV, make sure you pay attention to the positive stories too, and if you have similar feelings about your parents as those described in this article, Lohrmann suggests reading Bringing Up Parents–The Teenager’s Handbook, by Alex J. Packer, Ph.D.  It may convince your parents to give you a little more freedom.  Life is good.