The Conservative movement is alive and well with American parents. Across the country, parents, an already exhausted group of individuals, are taking on the role of freedom fighters as schools challenge them for the right to raise the students entrusted to them in their image. Curriculums that include lessons in politics (as opposed to civics) are presenting a slanted worldview that directly counters what is being taught in many American households. Sadly, parents who dare to challenge those curriculums are labeled ‘domestic terrorists’ by their school boards and, as always, it’s the students who suffer.
The need for remote learning in 2020 catalyzed a renewed awareness of parental rights. Parents who previously had limited insight into the material their kids were being fed now had a bird’s eye view into the classroom. For many, it was a shocking revelation. With groups like BLM and The 1619 Project lobbying teachers’ unions to adapt their tenets into school curriculums, it became clear that many schools were no longer focused on the fundamentals of reading, writing, arithmetic, and (gasp) critical thinking. Instead, it had become all about critical race theory, pronouns, and gender identity.
Educators replace the terms ‘mothers’ and ‘fathers’ with ‘birthing parents,’ with little respect for how the parents or children feel about the new designation. Parental exclusion policies are being enacted in schools across the country which prevent parents from knowing their child’s gender status at school. These policies, often not formally written, are a violation of the rights of parents who are the ones squarely responsible for protecting and advocating for their kids. Our inept president has even gone as far as to declare, “There is no such thing as someone else’s child. Our nation’s children are all our children.”
The truth is that children belong to their parents. It’s the parents who are feeding and clothing them, throwing birthday parties, and rocking feverish babies to sleep. Liberal activists should not be the ones imposing their ideologies on our school curriculums. They do not have the right to instruct our kids about sexual orientation and gender identity or label any child as an oppressor. Outside of the 3 R’s, it’s parents who determine when concepts like sexuality and social inequities are introduced to children.
If the tables were turned and a group of Conservative teachers were secretly baptizing children and teaching Bible stories while labeling it an art class, those teachers would face extreme consequences, including loss of employment and public condemnation. The mainstream media would be relentless in pointing out the boundaries that had been overstepped. But when a school counselor tells your little boy that it’s okay to be a little girl and that “gender-affirming care” (also known as mutilation) is available, that is considered child advocacy. Add to that the guarantee of secrecy school officials make to students against their parents and you’ve got a complete erosion of family trust and respect. This isn’t safety, it’s scary.
I have seen the power of Conservative parents firsthand with a local group known as The Momma Bears. They have done incredible things when their young were put at risk. They are skillful speakers who are eloquent without being aggressive. They are able to mobilize large groups when needed, producing t-shirts, signs, or whatever is needed to make their point. In less than three years, my wife went from knowing little about politics and its effects on children to becoming a Turning point USA representative. The movement has grown into much larger groups like Mom’s For Liberty, which has increased its membership to over 70,000 in just a few short years. The Momma Bears are the cornerstone of this movement.
Proverbs 22:6 reads,
“Train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Those are the words Conservative parents live by. And with God’s help, they will live inside their children for generations to come.