2/7/2022 0 Comments Parental Responsibility Recently I submitted the following to the Star Phoenix for consideration for publication as a “Letter to the Editor”. Knowing it was longer than the usual 250 word limit I suggested in an email exchange with the editor that I would prefer the letter not be truncated on my behalf to fit their word limit, lest it lose all meaning and context in the exchange. If that was to be the case, it was my preference it not be published at all. As an avid reader of the Star Phoenix over the decades I have seen many occasions where exceptions have been made to this 250-word limit policy in the interest of enabling a good and fulsome discussion.
Rather than any accommodation offered I received a simple “OK” in response. Of course, my letter was never printed. In fact, this was the very reason I began this blog some time ago, it is the reason I call it “Unpublished Letters”. Some may recall I used to submit letters occasionally to the Star Phoenix on topics I felt were worthy of discussion. The censorship that was once conducted in secret will soon be in the open and given recent federal govt legislation, I can be certain even blogs such as this will be deemed “wrongthink” by the current powers that be. It has indeed become a bit of a sad world recently with the sociopaths (thankfully a tiny minority but with outsized influence), among us bullying, shamming, and attempting to cancel anyone who disagrees with them. To these people who have lost their way, I say chin up, hang in there, your own conscience will ultimately and inevitably guide you away from the self-hatred that has gripped you, if it doesn’t, I fear far worse outcomes for you. It will be intensely painful to bear truth in your life, it often is, but it will also be redemptive. In the meantime, the brave and courageous will continue to speak truth for as long as it is necessary. My letter follows. The opportunity to parent a child is one of life’s richest blessings. It is also one of life’s greatest responsibilities. Those who have been parents for any length of time know this to be a universal truth. We celebrate the growth and accomplishments of our children, and we agonize over getting things wrong in the raising of our children. Recently we have been made aware there are a few among us who seem to believe they are better at assuming some of those responsibilities than parents are. In these times it can seem easier to keep our head down on such topics lest we run the risk of ridicule and being cancelled. This is not one of those times. With the newly introduced policy of government regarding informed consent and sexual education in schools for those under 16, parents are being reminded we can and must take up our responsibilities. It is such a serious responsibility it should only appropriately be taken up by those who truly care for and love the children. This does not include activists, politicians, and union leaders, it is only the parents, no one else. Those who would oppose us in our responsibilities are not the allies of parents by any stretch. They have their own agendas and do no favors to the children involved either, despite their pleadings otherwise. In fact, they remind me of the first woman in one of the stories describing the wisdom of Solomon. You know the one where King Solomon was asked to rule between two women who each claimed to be the mother of a child. Solomon was in a pickle here and declared his solution to be that the child would be cut in two, each woman to receive half if they could not resolve their claim in any other way. The first woman did not contest the ruling, declaring that if she could not have the baby whole then neither of them could. The second woman begged Solomon to give the baby to the first woman, for she would rather give up claim to her own child than see it lose its life. Solomon, seeing the truth, quickly declared the second woman as the real mother. In this story we find what the love and responsibility of a parent for their child looks like. It is that love and responsibility that others have no business interfering with. We would do well to recall this story and embrace our responsibilities as parents, lest others who do not love our children try to usurp them.
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I grew up as part of a big family on a big mixed farm on the Prairies of Canada. All my opinions are my own. I have an Ag degree from Saskatoon and an MBA from New Brunswick. I am happily married with four children. I love my work, my family and my community and will guard them all ferociously. I try to bring critical thought to all I do and all I say. Leadership through example is the best way forward. |