In the complex social environment of an American democracy, adults teach children many things. However, not all that adults teach children are beneficial to the child, to democracy, or to the America they need to be happy productive citizens. Women are not wholly responsible for teaching children. But in the complex world of human diversity, women often carry more than their fair share.
Parents, teachers, religious leaders, and politicians on all sides of political spectrum cannot continue in our growing failure to teach our children well. If we do, America will continue to produce at a phenomenal rate enormously wealthy, middle-class, working class, and economically deprived children who are deficient in behaviors that lead to a strong democracy and a strong America.
As long as poor, working class, middle class, affluent, and extremely wealthy youth continue to ignore and repudiate the behaviors and responsibilities that benefit all Americans, America is a nation in trouble and the failure of our America democracy is imminent.
We must teach children about morals. But morality doesn't begin with sex and end with an assault against pro-choice and a woman's right to be in control of her own body. Every child should understand that a morally driven person is neither consumed by nor unduly influenced by bigotry, racism, misogyny, sexism, lies, and shaming. Neither do they acquiesce to a rape culture that allows men and some women to ignore or downplay rape and sexual assault on women and young girls.
Women especially must make efforts to help their sons and daughter learn to have respect for themselves and to show respect for their elders and for appropriate proper authority.
Children need to have less respect and admiration for decadent entertainment, tyrants demigods, and false prophets. They should have even lesser respect and refused to be influenced by or controlled by lies and narratives from predatory pundits, predatory billionaires, predatory politicians, predatory social miscreants, and predatory religious leaders.
Our sons and daughters must learn the value of good ethics and the superior ethics of of good work habits. Above all, they must learn to appreciate and defend the sacred values of human life and the sacred value of human dignity. They should understand and that a failure to value human life and human dignity destroys our democratic way of life and diminish us all
They must learn to embrace the unimpeachable morality of always trying, to the best of their ability, to demonstrate a willingness to ensure that truth and goodness in the end triumph over lies, evil, and decadent greed regardless of its source. It does not matter if the source is economics, social stratification, religion, politics, or any of the "isms" that are detrimental to democracy.
Children must learn to accept without compromise, irregardless of their economic and social status, that being good and smart is superior to acting dumb, dumber, and stupid beyond redemption. They should accept that learning, critical thinking, and doing well in school is superior to failing or being a marginal student.
Our sons and daughters should embrace the belief that being polite does not make them weak and that being rude and impolite does not make them strong. They should embrace the belief that being polite is superior to being rude because it strengthen our democracy and offers a superior quality of life for all Americans.
Isn't that the goal of every mother and every American who values America?
