Perversion in America Part 2

"It is a wise father that knows his own child." ~ William Shakespeare

A couple of weeks ago, I enrolled my son in a drivers school that was meeting at his school. I paid a down payment of $140.00, which is half of the total cost, the rest payable before he drove for the first time. The class meets 3 days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Then, I found out, in the state of Maryland, the price of a learners permit is $50.00.

I consider both of those fees legalized extortion, because drivers school is required in this state in order for a new driver to get a license. But that isn't what this post is about.

He went to class the first day, then skipped the next day to go to a church youth gathering. He told me his teacher allowed one day off from class, but I called the school and asked them if that was true anyway. It was.

But the next week he skipped again.

Once again, I called his teacher and found out, this time, that he wasn't given permission to miss another drivers class. So I went to his High school, and pulled him out of his regularly scheduled class, and chewed him out for skipping drivers class. I told him if he wasn't going to go to class, I would withdraw him and get my money back.

He chose to withdraw.

So why am I telling this story?

Well, I am the first to admit that I am not a good father. Fortunately, my son is a pretty good kid. He makes good choices overall. He doesn't consider himself responsible enough to drive a car yet. But at least I try to teach him right from wrong.

In yesterday's post, I discussed the crumbling sense of morality that is becoming all too prevalent in America today. But I didn't affix blame for the problem. I did list some factors that I believe contribute to the problem.

We can blame the porn industry or the media. All of it; newspapers, TV, radio, magazines, movies, internet. We can blame peer pressure. We can blame a permissive society, and the attempts by certain special interest groups that pervert the original intent of the Constitution, to excuse perversion by calling it "free speech".

But in the end it all comes down to personal responsibility. And making the right choices. And employing some common sense.

And being a parent.

Our society has a way of shooting itself in the foot sometimes. It backs off whenever someone complains they are being discriminated against or not being allowed to express themselves, in spite of the fact that in the act of expressing themselves, they are ultimately destroying their own lives. And those of their children.

We are so afraid of inhibiting the emotional growth of our children that we are creating a society that has no moral compass. Parents have forgotten how to say, "NO".

And it's not only the parents. Government has failed our children, too.

Dr. Jocelyn Elder, President Clinton's surgeon General, once said, "We've taught our children in driver's education what to do in the front seat, and now we've got to teach them what to do in the back seat."

The idea that comprehensive sex education will prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases has been disproven. Since sex education was introduced as part of every schools curriculum, the incidents of both have increased, not decreased.

President Bill Clinton himself, in the act of attempting to cover up his illicit sexual escapades in the oval office, indirectly gave our young people permission to engage in oral sex by declaring that oral sex isn't "real" sex.

If it wasn't real, how did those stains on that blue dress get there? Don't answer that. It's a rhetorical question.

Recently, The Washington Post reported, "Slightly more than half of American teenagers ages 15 to 19 have engaged in oral sex, with females and males reporting similar levels of experience, according to the most comprehensive national survey of sexual behaviors ever released by the federal government".

Additionally, USA Today reports, "Ten years after Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky's relationship made oral sex a mainstream topic, there's still plenty of debate over whether oral sex is really sex.

The latest fuss is spurred by new federal data that found that more than half of 15- to 19-year-olds have received or given oral sex. Although the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not ask the particulars of these encounters, research conducted in pre-Clinton times, along with more recent studies, suggests that teens largely fall on the 'it's not sex' side"

In the same article, we read, "In Questions Kids Ask About Sex, oral sex is clearly sex".

"Sex occurs when one person touches another person's genitals and causes that person to get sexually excited," the book states. "A girl or boy who's had oral sex doesn't feel or think like a virgin anymore, because he or she has had a form of sex."

Out of the 45 million unborn babies that have been slaughtered since the infamous Roe vs Wade decision, the majority have been teens and young unmarried women, who wanted to have sex but didn't want to deal with the consequences. They don't want to accept the responsibilty for their promiscuity.

It is a destructive lifestyle.

So what's the solution? How do we take America once again to the moral high ground?

I submit that we need to return to active and responsible parenting. We cannot allow our children to run their own lives. They simply are not mature enough to make those decisions for themselves, no matter how mature they convince us they are. They do not have the life experience or the acqured common sense that comes with maturity.

It is our responsibilty to raise our children with a healthy respect for themselves and their bodies. It is up to us, as parents, to make sure they understand the sanctity of human life and the consequences of failing to respect that precept.

It starts with a hands-on involvement in the lives of our children. Get in there and find out what is going on when you aren't around. Go to their teachers and their friends parents. teach your children to cultivate a sense of responsibilty and make sure they know that all life is sacred. Ask questions. Listen to your children. Practice what you preach. Lead by example.

And above all, make sure your children know you love them.

For that is the beginning of respect.