A Controversial Subject

I hope I can speak freely on my blog, and I hope that those who read my blog will respect my right to do so.

Anyway, Joshua's been learning about "families" at school. That always causes me to raise an eyebrow nowadays, because sadly, the world in which we live has many definitions of what makes a family. It's no secret that I believe in the traditional family. I have that right, I have that privilage, and I should not be ridiculed for that belief. Sadly, that has not been the case. I should be able to respectfully, and lovingly disagree with "modern" terminology, so why is it that I feel I must keep my mouth shut in order to not stir up the waters of contention? I digress.

Joshua has been learning about families in school. The thing that really concerned me was that the note home read, "we're learning about our families and what makes them unique". In my parents day, and perhaps even in my youth, "unique" only really meant, which foods are different, any cultural differences or traditions... etc. I think we all know what unique means now.

So, I asked Joshua what he had learned about his family. He said, "I learned that I have one mommy and one daddy." I asked him how many mommy's and daddy's other kids have. He told me that "some kids have two daddy's and some kids have two mommy's, and that's okay." I responded, "Joshua, I am so glad that you told me that so that I can tell you that that's not true." Then, he said, "what do you mean it's not true? The books my teacher reads to me says that you can have two mommy's or two daddy's." This is never a conversation I had wanted to have with my 5 year old and I feel upset that the corrupt school system has forced this upon me. I responded to him, "you may hear from your teachers or from your friends that two mom's or two dad's is okay, but, I am glad that I get to tell you that that's not true. Because we go to church, and because we follow a living prophet, we know that Heavenly Father wants our families to have one mom and one dad." "Why do some people think it's okay?" "Other people may not have the gospel, and other people choose to not live the commandments, but we do. We know that President Monson tells us what Heavenly Father wants us know, so we know the truth, and we do what Heavenly Father wants us to do. But, we love everyone." He was satisfied with that answer, so I left it at that. Of course, I didn't have a tape recorder but that's the jist of it.

After talking with Jon Mark, I think we are planning on pulling him out of school. I know that this decision may cause people to wonder why. I guess I don't really trust his teacher anymore. Our other choice is to have a conversation with his teacher and see if we can trust her to not share "liberal" notions anymore. I don't know. He doesn't have to be in preschool, it's his second year in preschool anyway.

I feel sad that I can't speak freely about this. I feel sad that the public school system has taken it upon themselves to indoctrinate our youth. I'm just upset in general. I made a mistake and posted about this on my ward's relief society facebook page. My intent was to inform others with similar values, so that perhaps they might take a closer look into what their children are being taught in school. I sincerely did not stop to think about whether or not such a post would be a misuse of the page. And, I didn't stop to think that my actions would cause offense. I feel horrible about it. I never wanted to hurt feelings, and I certainly never meant to cause disunity in my ward. It was a mistake on my part, and I'm sorry...

Likewise, I apologize if this post is upsetting to anyone who reads it. But, I also feel that those who are conservative deserve to have their voice heard too. I've never made it a secret as to what I believe, so it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, but I am a conservative. I believe in the constitution. I believe in the America our founding father's had envisioned. And, I believe in the scriptures' definition of family. I believe that a child's public education should be limited to the basics, and that the other "stuff" should be left to the parent's discretion. And, I believe that parents have a right to know what their children are being taught.

Alright, I think I'll get down from my soapbox for now. Take care.