I first felt a weird dichotomy about attitudes towards kids when I took my young child out to eat. I thought I had been careful in my restaurant choice, but I discovered I had to be even more selective. Children were welcome, they said. But even some “cheap eats” places made the basics challenging to children. They gave us hard, ill-fitting high chairs, lengthy waits for service, and no extra napkins. I got the message and switched to family restaurants (with their scarce vegetables and fruits), but now my antenna were up.

Do we like kids? Do we hear their voices?
I am good friends with many people who spend little time with children. They generously invite us over, but then expect my enthusiastic youngster to “play quietly” while we talk. They mean well, I know, but they do not understand what kids need. Kids are not just a “private good,” a term used by Economist Timothy Smeeding in an interview with Connect for Kids, or a parent’s private problem. They cannot just be shelved. They have to nurtured, directed, and supported…constantly.

I looked up, across the breadth of the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) trumpeted in a recent report that more children than ever have health insurance. In 2003, only 10.1 percent are not covered, in part because of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

But, I mutter…that means that 1 in 10 still has no health insurance.

In June, the Economic Policy Institute reported U.S. child poverty is the highest among industrialized countries. EPI calculates that 22 percent of children fall below the poverty line as defined by the institute.

Why would this be if we love our kids?
The Ad Council recently heralded changes in American attitudes towards children. In its report, “Turning Point: Engaging the Public on Behalf of Children,” the Ad Council offered survey results showing that in 2003, almost twice as many Americans (40 percent) “use positive terms to describe children” as in 1996 (23 percent). The numbers soar to above 70 percent when asked about children they know well.

Call me cynical, but I am not jumping up and down and yelling yay. I see a gap between feeling good about kids and doing good for kids.

No kid should live in poverty in this country. No kid should be without health insurance and quality health care. No kid should be without loving support.

So, what do the kids say?
First, they love us. A 2003 study by the youth marketing firm KidShop/KidzEyes shows that kids say that relationships with family, friends, and parents are the "most important" thing in their lives right now. Said one girl, "most kids would say the most important thing to them is there (sic) family, friends, and having a roof over there (sic) head. I totally agree with that."

Kids love school, have aspirations, and are involved. Over 80 percent of kids reported helping others through service projects. "I volunteer to do stuff with my church," reported one 11 year old. "We hand out gloves and hats and other things to kids that don’t have any.” Last February, CFK noted a Bureau of Labor Statistics report showing that teenagers had a relatively high volunteer rate.

But kids also want “to be kids.” Kids are not small adults; they are individuals in formation. They need truckloads of time and help. Perhaps more of us adults recognize that now; the Ad Council reports that 72 percent of Americans say “that raising children is the responsibility of parents with the support of others in the community.”

Some kids have the wherewithal to meet us partway as we help them reach their dreams. They take the initiative to find ways to use their talents. For instance, the news service Children’s PressLine will be sending some young journalists to both the Democratic and Republican Conventions. These kids will be filing stories – including here on CFK – offering their special perspectives.

In a story on political involvement, teenager Darla Gary told CFK “I was never told to shut my mouth if I had something important to say…I was always taught through words and actions of those around me that speaking out was an integral part of life – that if I let others decide my future then I would be stuck with their dreams and their concerns.” No doubt with just a little help, hard-charging Darla will be heard and find success.

But too many kids struggle every day to find enough food, to stay healthy, and to get a good education.

In June, Kids Count released its 2004 KIDS COUNT Data Book. While there was improvement among the 10 indicators of child well-being, the data portrayed a less-than-perfect picture. Over 16 percent of American children live below the poverty level. About one fifth of children live in high-poverty neighborhoods where resources and support are limited. Kids Count reported that “one in six young adults, ages 18 to 24, are not working, have no degree beyond high school, and are not enrolled in school.” Those facing the biggest hurdle are disproportionately minority.

Kids Count called for support to help disconnected youth move from “risk to opportunity.” In particular, we need to “get our goals right so that America’s kids reach adulthood with skills and confidence.”

These benchmarks of children’s well-being and this call to action should be heard. This is the sound of children’s voices calling for help.

Here is where all of us at Connect for Kids come in – as champions for our kids. For all our kids. Individually or collectively, we can make life better for our children, and in doing that make it better for ourselves, our community, and our country.

We can be the optimistic champions of our children. We can hear their voices. We can make better what is desperate and strengthen what is good. We can be a team supporting all our kids.

We can show them that we are for kids, not kidding.

Sincerely,

Kate Mattos