How do we raise kids who value freedom?
There are many facets to freedom. Whether you are for religious freedom, financial freedom, social freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to bare arms, all freedom comes at a cost. How does a parent teach their children to value the cost of freedom? How do you as a parent explain how important freedom and liberty are to your kids? How do you fight the indoctrination of liberal schools and media?
We all have a set of values that we pass to our children whether we want to or not - lets face it they are like sponges. Tommy's Mother and Father both work 60 hours a week at big corporations. They buy their kids all the latest electronics, they take private Karate lessons and Mom and Dad have a nice college nest egg saved up for their little rugrat. Little Billy is down the street his Dad is a Union Bus Mechanic who puts in his 40 hours and goes home - his mom stays at home and is active in the P.T.A. Little Billy doesn't have an X-Box 360, his family likes to hike in the woods near their house, and Billy wants to be a carpenter when he grows up.
I am not saying that 1 of these lives is better than the other, or that one sends a "good message" to either kid, I'm sure that you have formulated your own opinions by now and I don't care what they are. My point is that these are two American families and both sets of parents love their child, share a patriotism for America and have a value system that they are passing on to their child. Also, if I'm any example the kids may say I don't like the example these grown-ups are setting for me and forge their own path.
I want my children to understand my beliefs, they don't have to agree with everything I tell them about God, politics, football, fishing, or freedom. It is essential that they hear what I have to say and if I'm any good at making a point they will see why I feel that way - how I came to know this as the truth - and hopefully they will understand and invest themselves in what I teach. Down the road if they feel my philosophy has a fatal flaw I encourage the debate. I want them to question everything I speak about as a philosophy, not so much about keeping their rooms clean. I wish for them to give things that require strength of belief and of faith and of honor, courage, virtue, and conviction all of the contemplation necessary for them to live their beliefs to the fullest.
At some point in time, everyone of us has had their beliefs challenged. When the time comes where they have to stand up for what is right - when everyone else is against it - or say this is wrong when - everyone else is for it - I want my children to have the faith, the power, the confidence to believe what they say and say what they believe. So this is forum of debate. I will relate stories and conversations and try my best to keep them interesting and thoughtful. I will do my best to present questions my children might have, and on occasion I will try to muddy the waters and ask for your opinions as well.
May yet another great American experiment begin!
We all have a set of values that we pass to our children whether we want to or not - lets face it they are like sponges. Tommy's Mother and Father both work 60 hours a week at big corporations. They buy their kids all the latest electronics, they take private Karate lessons and Mom and Dad have a nice college nest egg saved up for their little rugrat. Little Billy is down the street his Dad is a Union Bus Mechanic who puts in his 40 hours and goes home - his mom stays at home and is active in the P.T.A. Little Billy doesn't have an X-Box 360, his family likes to hike in the woods near their house, and Billy wants to be a carpenter when he grows up.
I am not saying that 1 of these lives is better than the other, or that one sends a "good message" to either kid, I'm sure that you have formulated your own opinions by now and I don't care what they are. My point is that these are two American families and both sets of parents love their child, share a patriotism for America and have a value system that they are passing on to their child. Also, if I'm any example the kids may say I don't like the example these grown-ups are setting for me and forge their own path.
I want my children to understand my beliefs, they don't have to agree with everything I tell them about God, politics, football, fishing, or freedom. It is essential that they hear what I have to say and if I'm any good at making a point they will see why I feel that way - how I came to know this as the truth - and hopefully they will understand and invest themselves in what I teach. Down the road if they feel my philosophy has a fatal flaw I encourage the debate. I want them to question everything I speak about as a philosophy, not so much about keeping their rooms clean. I wish for them to give things that require strength of belief and of faith and of honor, courage, virtue, and conviction all of the contemplation necessary for them to live their beliefs to the fullest.
At some point in time, everyone of us has had their beliefs challenged. When the time comes where they have to stand up for what is right - when everyone else is against it - or say this is wrong when - everyone else is for it - I want my children to have the faith, the power, the confidence to believe what they say and say what they believe. So this is forum of debate. I will relate stories and conversations and try my best to keep them interesting and thoughtful. I will do my best to present questions my children might have, and on occasion I will try to muddy the waters and ask for your opinions as well.
