Katy Perry recently stated in Vanity Fair that her strict upbringing
"stole her childhood". Miss Perry, known for her pop song "I Kissed a
Girl" and her recent marriage to British comedian Russell Brand, said
that her strict Christian parents prevented her from "growing up like
most kids".
I wonder, does Miss Perry think the world was safe back in 1991 when she started to attend first grade? In 2001 in the United States, 74% of non-family child abductions were girls and almost ¾ of the abducted children who were eventually murdered were dead within three hours of their abduction. Now granted, this is ten years later, but the truth is that the 1990's were not that much safer than 2001. In 1998, three quarters of parents polled said they worried that their child would be abducted. And one third of them said that it was a frequent worry.
What is the definition of "strict" to Miss Perry? She couldn't say the words "Dirt Devil" or "deviled eggs" and was forced to listen to Contemporary Christian Music instead of the popular music of the day. She had friends that sneaked her secular CD's so she could listen anyways. And her mother would only read the Bible to her. One fine point Miss Perry omits is that at least her mother spent time with her reading to her. Even if it was only the Bible, most psychologists and family counselors will tell you that time spent with them is one gift that a child will always remember.
Another sense that she was robbed of her childhood was that Planned Parenthood was portrayed as an abortion clinic. Really? You mean she was actually given an accurate description of Planned Parenthood? (See Abbey Johnson's book "UnPlanned" for an insider's view of what Planned Parenthood is all about) Oh, the horror. She says she didn't know it "was for women and their needs." Yeah, right. See "Forbidden Grief" by Theresa Burke to see how psychologically damaging an abortion is to everyone involved, both men and women, but especially women, not even mentioning that it takes the life of an actual living human being. (the word fetus is Latin for offspring)
Miss Perry's childhood was restricted in much the same way that a guard rail on a bridge restricts cars driving along a road. It prevents them from doing what cars that go off the side of the road will do, which is plunge into the area the bridge is spanning. I think Miss Perry is veering a little off the road here.
While her parents may have been a bit overzealous in their child rearing, and what parent isn't sometimes, she makes it sound like they forced her to wear a chastity belt to school, endured endless interrogation about her whereabouts and the other children she socialized with, and beat her for the slightest infraction of their rules.
Miss Perry lives in a fantasy world where everything is peaches and cream and the world is a fun place to live. Why not? She's a popular celebrity and people listen to what she says as if she actually knows what she is talking about. The mainstream media doesn't criticize her because she is politically correct and has done nothing to draw their ire. Even though she is a role model for young girls in that critical stage of their development as young women, whether or not she wants to be, she stands for nothing of substance and promotes things that I am sure her Christian parents would be appalled at. Abortion and homosexuality, even if only experimentation, are major forces that would destroy young people when they are at the prime of their lives and just beginning to see what their life is really intended for.
One day Miss Perry may understand that even the best parents admit to making mistakes. You are required to have flown at least 1500 logged hours in order to qualify for an Air Transport Pilot's license and fly for the major airlines. You have to go through at least 9 years of schooling and numerous tests in order to be a medical doctor. It takes around 7 years and passing a major law exam (called the bar) in order to practice law in most states. And you have to take a test and qualify before a board in order to be a plumber. Every career from being a police officer to being a truck driver to becoming a teacher requires training. Parenting is the only job that is performed by unskilled labor learning on-the-job. And the job is always different for each and every child because no two children are the same and what works with one child may not work with the next.
Children don't come with an instruction manual and anyone who undertakes to raise a child in the world we live in today should be applauded for the effort rather than being raked over the coals. Miss Perry's success is undoubtedly a result of extraordinary parents since success in the entertainment industry is dicey at best. Her self-confidence is evident as she performs and that self-confidence did not become a part of her as a result of the water she drank or the culture in which she was raised. This self-confidence came about despite the culture in which she was raised. That can be directly attributed to her parents, and more specifically, for her, her mother. Mothers model womanhood to their daughters through their actions and interactions with others just as fathers' model manhood to their sons.
It will be interesting to see how Miss Perry views motherhood and the responsibilities that come with parenting when the little child that comes from her womb (if she stays away from Planned Parenthood) is starting to grow up in such a dangerous world. As one person stated, "When I was seventeen, my parents were so stupid. It is amazing how much they learned in the next 4 years." Miss Perry is definitely not there yet.
I wonder, does Miss Perry think the world was safe back in 1991 when she started to attend first grade? In 2001 in the United States, 74% of non-family child abductions were girls and almost ¾ of the abducted children who were eventually murdered were dead within three hours of their abduction. Now granted, this is ten years later, but the truth is that the 1990's were not that much safer than 2001. In 1998, three quarters of parents polled said they worried that their child would be abducted. And one third of them said that it was a frequent worry.
What is the definition of "strict" to Miss Perry? She couldn't say the words "Dirt Devil" or "deviled eggs" and was forced to listen to Contemporary Christian Music instead of the popular music of the day. She had friends that sneaked her secular CD's so she could listen anyways. And her mother would only read the Bible to her. One fine point Miss Perry omits is that at least her mother spent time with her reading to her. Even if it was only the Bible, most psychologists and family counselors will tell you that time spent with them is one gift that a child will always remember.
Another sense that she was robbed of her childhood was that Planned Parenthood was portrayed as an abortion clinic. Really? You mean she was actually given an accurate description of Planned Parenthood? (See Abbey Johnson's book "UnPlanned" for an insider's view of what Planned Parenthood is all about) Oh, the horror. She says she didn't know it "was for women and their needs." Yeah, right. See "Forbidden Grief" by Theresa Burke to see how psychologically damaging an abortion is to everyone involved, both men and women, but especially women, not even mentioning that it takes the life of an actual living human being. (the word fetus is Latin for offspring)
Miss Perry's childhood was restricted in much the same way that a guard rail on a bridge restricts cars driving along a road. It prevents them from doing what cars that go off the side of the road will do, which is plunge into the area the bridge is spanning. I think Miss Perry is veering a little off the road here.
While her parents may have been a bit overzealous in their child rearing, and what parent isn't sometimes, she makes it sound like they forced her to wear a chastity belt to school, endured endless interrogation about her whereabouts and the other children she socialized with, and beat her for the slightest infraction of their rules.
Miss Perry lives in a fantasy world where everything is peaches and cream and the world is a fun place to live. Why not? She's a popular celebrity and people listen to what she says as if she actually knows what she is talking about. The mainstream media doesn't criticize her because she is politically correct and has done nothing to draw their ire. Even though she is a role model for young girls in that critical stage of their development as young women, whether or not she wants to be, she stands for nothing of substance and promotes things that I am sure her Christian parents would be appalled at. Abortion and homosexuality, even if only experimentation, are major forces that would destroy young people when they are at the prime of their lives and just beginning to see what their life is really intended for.
One day Miss Perry may understand that even the best parents admit to making mistakes. You are required to have flown at least 1500 logged hours in order to qualify for an Air Transport Pilot's license and fly for the major airlines. You have to go through at least 9 years of schooling and numerous tests in order to be a medical doctor. It takes around 7 years and passing a major law exam (called the bar) in order to practice law in most states. And you have to take a test and qualify before a board in order to be a plumber. Every career from being a police officer to being a truck driver to becoming a teacher requires training. Parenting is the only job that is performed by unskilled labor learning on-the-job. And the job is always different for each and every child because no two children are the same and what works with one child may not work with the next.
Children don't come with an instruction manual and anyone who undertakes to raise a child in the world we live in today should be applauded for the effort rather than being raked over the coals. Miss Perry's success is undoubtedly a result of extraordinary parents since success in the entertainment industry is dicey at best. Her self-confidence is evident as she performs and that self-confidence did not become a part of her as a result of the water she drank or the culture in which she was raised. This self-confidence came about despite the culture in which she was raised. That can be directly attributed to her parents, and more specifically, for her, her mother. Mothers model womanhood to their daughters through their actions and interactions with others just as fathers' model manhood to their sons.
It will be interesting to see how Miss Perry views motherhood and the responsibilities that come with parenting when the little child that comes from her womb (if she stays away from Planned Parenthood) is starting to grow up in such a dangerous world. As one person stated, "When I was seventeen, my parents were so stupid. It is amazing how much they learned in the next 4 years." Miss Perry is definitely not there yet.
