Where DO they go?

Well, I woke up early this morning with a song running through my head. That's not unusual, really - I always have a soundtrack running through my head that's often affected by what goes on around me.

Anyway, this morning it was the Hooters singing "Where Do the Children Go?"

What? Not a Hooters fan? (the band, not the bar/restaurant, of course)

Here's a video that somebody put together of the the song and posted it on Youtube:

"Where do the children go, between the bright night and darkest day?

Where do the children go? And who's that deadly piper who leads them away?"

I don't know what Hyman and Bazilian intended when they wrote these words, but in my mind this morning I'm hearing a lament for the loss of innocence, a longing for our kids to stay kids and not grow up so fast...

But that's probalby just me.

So I get up and I'm reading the Gospels this morning (Matthew, actually) and I read this:

¹³Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

¹⁴Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ¹⁵When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

And something clicks for me. Where do the children go? Who's that deadly piper who leads them away? We are. The children go to that place WE send them, or lead them, or drive them. We chase away childhood like it's some kind of disease and then moan and complain because children "grow up too fast." Sigh...

Maybe next time I'll wake up with "The Rainbow Connection" or something less difficult running through my head...