Do our children learn to appreciate the elderly as a result of their upbringing in the United States? However, while there may not be a direct drive to dismiss older people, our culture's ambition to grow and always move toward the newest thing might leave little place for the wisdom of generations before.

Is it part of our American culture to treat the elderly with contempt or with respect?

While advancement unquestionably has important advantages, we are shooting ourselves in the foot when we undervalue the contributions of older, more experienced individuals. Living in the light of Scripture demands us to intentionally exhibit appropriate love and respect to our elders, as well as to encourage our children to do the same thing.

Why it is important for parents to intentionally teach their children to respect the elderly

Elderly people are highly regarded, if not venerated, in the vast majority of countries across the world. The Bible is clear that having gray hair is something to be admired—a sign that a person has lived long enough to be considered relatively smart and experienced in surviving the perils of life—and that it should be cherished by others. It goes without saying that this is a broad generalization. Our children, on the other hand, must grasp this essential reality. Unfortunately, it is not being received as well as it should be.

The majority of the time, an older person will have a great deal more wisdom to share than the ordinary young person. This is not always the case, however; as with most norms, there are exceptions to every one of them. The view of old people in modern America, on the other hand, is that they are washed up and out of date. However, being old-fashioned does not imply being out of date. Despite the fact that we're now attempting to redefine marriage, none of these things are out of date: sexuality, food, and marriage are all examples of things that are no longer relevant today.

In the United States, youth is today seen as more valuable and appreciated than senior citizen status. On the other hand, there is still a portion of this younger generation that yearns for adult attention, validation, and knowledge deep down in their hearts. In part, this is because many of today's children do not see the knowledge that exists in our elders on a broad scale; therefore, they are wary of putting their confidence in them entirely.

There may be some truth to the notion that older people require more than simply gray hair to earn the respect of today's young people—at the very least in their eyes—and that this is something that should be considered. The idea that older people must meet certain criteria set by younger people in order to be appreciated by them, on the other hand, is not anything I recall God mentioning. It was just a simple question of civility, and it was one of the benefits of living into one's golden years.

I have no problem with certain elderly people receiving even higher levels of respect from our children than other older people; this is simply because they have demonstrated that they have grown wiser as a result of their years, rather than bitter, stupid, and unpleasant as some other older people. To compare it to a police officer, one must show respect to him or her, even if the officer is a jerk on the inside. We are bound to respect their position as a result of their position in the first instance. Older individuals should be able to occupy roles and prestige in society as well, and it is the responsibility of good parents to impart this concept in their children.

Older people can provide insights and viewpoints that our children have never had the opportunity to experience or even contemplate. Examples include the fact that too many youngsters these days are adopting their political and professional aspirations, as well as their philosophical and even spiritual beliefs, from other young people who aren't even out of high school themselves.

However, because these pseudo-heroes may have been able to run faster, leap higher, or throw a ball harder or more precisely than the rest of us, they are regarded as authorities and specialists in other areas of life as well—such as those I've just mentioned—and they are compensated accordingly. Of course, most of the time, this is nonsense.

The controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick is only one of many examples. The same holds true for performers and entertainers. In the areas of religion, mental health, and human sexuality—not to mention the plethora of other topics on which these and other celebrities express their opinions on a regular basis—who or what gave people like Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, and/or a host of other "non-professionals" the status of pundit?

One thing these individuals have going for them is that their various areas have provided them with a platform from which to express their opinions with the young, naive, and uninformed—even though their thoughts are outside the boundaries of their respective sectors' expertise and vocations.

As responsible parents, we have a responsibility to convey to our children the overall absurdity of this situation. We can, of course, learn from anyone, regardless of his or her age. However, when a young pop star's advice on war or diplomacy in another country is considered more authoritative than that of a senior statesman or diplomat, we should teach our children to keep things in perspective.

To be clear, this does not imply that a young person should have nothing valuable to contribute to a larger narrative just because they are young. Although the Apostle Paul advised Timothy not to be degraded by others because he was young, he also stressed the need of respecting older people and established authority in a number of other passages in the Bible as well.

This does not imply that you have to agree with them all of the time, but, in general, the older you are, the smarter you are. And this is something that our children would benefit from understanding.