Scared to death

My son is 5 and is entering Kindergarten in the fall. This rite of passage in the life of my son, which should be a happy event, scares the crap out of me.

What is it? What's the problem? Unqualified teachers? Lack of funding by the government? Poor quality of education? Although there might be deficiencies in these areas to some extent, my problem is not primarily with these things.

The reason I'm scared for my child to go to school in the fall is the fact that we, as a society, have progressively failed in the raising of our children and the way we interact with others. I haven't been too impressed with the attitudes of many kids and teens I've seen lately. I feel I have a right to evaluate because I was a youth pastor for three years and was able to visit the local schools regularly and saw some of these things first hand. I've seen an extreme lack of respect for their peers and especially those in authority over them (teachers, parents, other adults), hate, selfishness, laziness, deceit, lack of discipline etc. I realize that not every kid is like this but this is an epidemic that is growing.

What's the cause for these problems with our children and teens? Now, realize that I'm not a sociologist or anyone with initials behind my name that qualifies me to deliver an educated discourse in this area. However, I am concerned parent and an educated person in this society with thoughts and opinions. The cause of the problems in our children and teens is the previous generations. It's our fault. They've seen us hate and so they hate even more. They've seen our deceit and selfishness so they will be all the more selfish and deceitful.

"What you do in moderation, your children will do in excess."

I guess what I need to do is raise my children right and teach them how to love and properly interact with other kids... and give them karate lessons.