The future is uncertain. That is an undeniable fact. No one can accurately predict all variables of any situation. For many of us parents, one of the biggest questions is: “Am I raising a child who will be a contributing member of society?”
As a child becomes a teenager, our influence over our child steadily decreases. I’m not saying that is right, nor am I saying it is a bad thing. Our children must experience things outside of our household to become their own selves.
Yet there are two ideals that we must teach our children if we want them to succeed and thrive as well-adjusted members of society. These two concepts are responsibility and consequences.
Responsibility. We gave our son more and more responsibility as he got older. We also gave him guidance that as he gained more, he had more to lose. As long as he acted appropriately, he had more leeway to make his own decisions. This method worked extremely well and rarely had setbacks. However, when my son made bad choices, my wife and I would tighten up on him a little, along with an explanation of why.
Related: ‘My Son and I Cheer at the Good Plays, Cringe at the Bad Ones’
Like most kids today, my son really enjoys electronics. We share an Xbox One. He saved his allowances and traded in some of his video games to purchase his own Kindle Fire. He used this to read books (which made me extremely happy) and browse YouTube videos. For his 10th birthday, he received an iPod touch. It was something he really wanted, as he loves to listen to music and would receive iTunes gift cards from other relatives. He used these gift cards to expand his music library.
Consequences. When we caught him using his iPod where he wasn’t supposed to and then lied about it, the consequences were that we removed all electronics indefinitely. Eventually, we returned the items after the three of us discussed the matter.
As I was writing this article, I realized these two values are also aligned with my political beliefs. Being a conservative requires one to be responsible for his or her own actions, and to accept and bear the consequences should those actions be inappropriate or misguided.
It seems that liberalism is the exact opposite of those standards. I would love to list all the examples that are flying through my head right now, but I will keep it to just a few headline instances.
It takes responsible parents to raise responsible kids. Failure to do so will not be good for society or our country.
In a localized example, we learned on March 30 that New York high schools are barred from keeping records of disorderly conduct or marijuana-usage incidents. The city educational system in all actuality is teaching teens there will be no repercussions for breaking school, city, state and federal laws.
Regarding a national lesson in irresponsibility and no consequences, President Bill Clinton had an explicit sexual encounter in the oval office with a young intern and lied about it during an investigation. Eventually, he was disbarred and impeached by the house, but not by the Senate. He did lose his license to practice law, but did anyone think that he was going to go back to being a lawyer? Besides a slap on the wrist, the philanderer-in-chief basically got away with his inappropriate and criminal actions.
Abortion is another liberal stronghold of removing responsibility. It provides a path to inconsequential sexual encounters. Never mind that the result is taking the life of a human being with unlimited future potential — just get a quick procedure, and you’re free to continue doing what you like to do.
There are more general examples as well. It’s not fair to arrest the criminal because he had a bad childhood. Don’t blame the looters and rioters because they were angry. Don’t deport illegal aliens even though they broke our immigration laws.
The pervasiveness of irresponsibility in our society has a lot to do with our educational system. It has been taken over by a vast majority of liberal faculty and staff who oppose, condemn, and, in some cases, suppress any conservative viewpoint. This is a fact that cannot be denied. Every time a conservative or “not liberal enough” guest speaker is scheduled, protesters do everything they can to shut that person down — with few or no consequences.
Related: Hardest Part of Raising Kids Isn’t the Kids
I remember in the ’90s when Hillary Clinton proclaimed, “It takes a village to raise a child.” To many of us, it seemed a call to lessen the impact of parents on the children of this nation. Knowing they had the educational system locked up, the Left wanted the youth turned over to them and their own political indoctrination camps.That statement may sound a little extremist — but is it really if it’s true?
It takes responsible parents to raise a responsible child. Failure to do so will not be good for society or our country, since irresponsible children grow up to become irresponsible people. Those types of people are a strain on society. It’s also how liberalism endures.
Conservatism, on the other hand, spreads when people take responsibility for themselves and their actions, and when they accept the consequences, whether good or bad. By instilling these beliefs in my son, I have no doubt as to which side of the political fence he will land when he becomes an adult.
John Cylc is an eight-year U.S. Army veteran and lives with his family in eastern Tennessee. His primary advocacy is promoting and protecting Second Amendment rights.
Join the Discussion
Comments are currently closed.