Peanut Gallery: Here’s a video of “La Manif Pour Tous” march/protest in Paris. The crowds were huge. Special thanks to Rebecca Hamilton – public catholic – for bringing this to our attention.
Peanut Gallery: One of my family’s sojourns was in a wealthy suburb of New York City – a community of privileged, financial “movers and shakers” with high expections for everyone – especially their kids. It never ceased to amaze me, however, the preponderance of “nannies” in the community (live-in child caretakers)… making minimal wages – many of whom were not American citizens, and spoke barely adequate english.
These supposedly “brightest of the bright” parents were outsourcing the daily care and upbringing of their kids to people with whom they had little or nothing in common. They demanded the “best” in everything else, but went “on-the-cheap” when it came to daily home care and basic training in manners and civility for their children.
But this is not simply a problem for rich folks with “more bucks than brains”… it’s happening in all socio-economic communities across America.
In most homes, both parents work – either to support a “better” lifestyle or for “self-actualization” – and farm out their kids for others to raise… often having no idea what’s going on after they leave. Hence the growth in the niche spy-cam business.
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” – Proverbs 22.6 NLT
When we look at what’s happened to our kids in America, we need to look first in the mirror.
The primary job of parents is not financial security, or personal fulfillment, but “directing their children onto the right path.” And that means shaping their hearts, souls and minds… and preparing them to face the world as responsible Christian adults.
Two recent posts from bloggers new to me Ooobie on Everthing and Homeschool Mom prompted this post.
“What’s the matter with kids today?” by Ooobie on Everything made the point:
We lost the last three generations to the left because of our mindless pursuit of material benefit, and at the time it didn’t seem such a big deal. At first there were lots of grandparents to take care of kids if both parents worked. Over time, though, the grandparents and the grandchildren ended up living far apart, which meant no family supervision of our children as we toiled to better ourselves. We didn’t have time to spend with our children, teaching them our values and shaping their young minds. Our responsibilities were shuffled off onto the teachers and the media and the entertainment industry, all of which were our babysitters. While Mom and Dad earned enough for a second car, the highly malleable children imbibed the sexual depravity and violence of the entertainment world and values and ideas of the Marxists who controlled the education system.
That’s pretty strong stuff… but it’s true. Do you remember the delusional rationalizations about spending “quality” time with your kids? Think of your own family patterns and those of your friends over the past 50 years – if you can remember that far back. Who took care of the kids?
But that was then and this is now. Who’s taking care of the kids now?
Which brings me to the second blogger – new to me – A Homeschool Mom. The post that caught my attention was today’s – “Park Day Resumes.” She came up with a great, simple, idea for sharing family history and values –
While the kids were running around, the adults had a fun conversation about history coming alive. Many of us had interesting stories of relatives who not only lived during exciting times in American history, but passed down items of interest!
What a wonderful way for our children to learn history, knowing that their own families were a part of the action and possibly played an important part.
One of our families has quilts that date back to the Civil War and antiques which are even older. Most of us had family that came through Ellis Island and have their names in the book. My husband’s great-grandparents actually ran with Poncho Villa (no, seriously; we have pictures)!
I think history takes on a whole new meaning when we have a personal attachment to it. How exciting history becomes when we see it as more than just words in a book, but actual experiences that someone lived through.
What fascinating part of history has your family been a part of?
Not everyone is cut out for homeschooling. But sharing your family’s values just takes a willingness to carve out some time and think about what makes your family special. It’s not rocket science. Even Grandparents can do it.
My wife had a saying, “In our family, we….” She used it often to distinguish our family’s values from those of our neighbors. It was a “compare and contrast” exercise that helped form our children’s self-understanding. It defined who we were, what was important to us and how everyone in our family was expected to live – honoring God and loving one another.
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” – Proverbs 22.6 NLT
If you don’t do it, who will?
Peanut Gallery: Who’d have thunk we’d be getting moral guidance from the French? And yet, some folks in France recognize that “gay marriage” is an oxymoron… a contrivance designed to gain the “blessing” of Church and State on sin-filled relationships.
Well good for them. Vive la France! And thanks to Public Catholic for bringing it our attention. BTW: I wonder if the French Muslim community will join this rally? Just a thought.
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Paris, France, Jan 9, 2013 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Supporters of traditional marriage expect hundreds of thousands of marchers to turn out for an upcoming national rally in opposition to President Francois Hollande’s “marriage for all” proposal.
Set to go before France’s parliament Jan. 29, the draft law proposes to redefine marriage as a union “contracted between two persons of different sex or of the same sex.”
The law would also allow “married” same-sex couples to adopt children while also replacing gender definitive titles such as “Mother” or “Father” with “Parent 1” and “Parent 2.”
Some opponents of the proposal say doing so would strip society of sexual differences and would create framework for a “new anthropological order” based on sexual preference rather than unique “sexual otherness.” Opponents also say the move would deny children the biological right of having a mother and father, and that the proposal should have been presented as a referendum to the people.
“La Manif Pour Tous” or “March For All,” a demonstration organized by French satirist Frigide Barjot – whose real name is Virginie Télenne – drew tens of thousands of supporters in the regional demonstrations held throughout France in November and December.
A modest estimate for the first national rally to be held Jan. 13 is projected to draw some 350,000 supporters, one of the organizers, Lionel Lumbroso, told CNA Jan. 4.
“The bigger we are, the more difficult it will be for the government to ignore us,” he said.
Although the “vast majority of the base is Catholic” and founder Frigide Barjot is a Catholic re-convert, Lumbroso said that the movement represents a much greater diversity of the French people because people of different faiths and political beliefs are coming together for a common goal. (Read more here.)
Peanut Gallery – Rick Santorum’s speech on Life and Family Values went largely unnoticed in Wednesday’s crowded GOP Convention schedule. But it was important because it clarified some of the social policy choices facing us in November.
“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are not competing American values… they are complementary. And they are the foundation of a civil society that values education, marriage, family and hard work… in that order. Santorum points out that following this simple traditional roadmap greatly increases one’s chance for happiness and economic properity.
Santorum essentially told the convention what Christian parents tell their kids – you can do it your way, or God’s way, but these two choices have two very different consequences. I’ve included the entire speech here so that you can hear his remarks in context.
Peanut Gallery: Today was the big “Free Speech” / “Religious Freedom” day for culture warriors and I did my part. So did hundreds of other folks in Aurora, IL where we’re visiting our family. I waited 2 hours in line for inside counter service. Drive through wait was about 45 minutes. And the lines were just as long when I left. This was big!
It was a lot like a tea party gathering without signs – lot’s of regular folks waiting for hours in the hot sun to make a point for freedom… it had very little to do with the food. It took time, energy and passion… and people were glad to do it. It would have been a terrific place for conservative voter registration effort.
The people in line with me couldn’t wait to express their support for traditional family values. And they can’t wait for November 6th to express their opinion again. The sleeping American giant has had enough. Look at the variety of people – men, women and families.
Here are some photos and videos –
It was a great day for Free Speech!
The Peanut Gallery 