Undoctrination.org

As the mother of a 3 year old, and with another little one on the way, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about life lessons, and how it is and will continue to be my job to impart the most fundamental lessons, values and beliefs onto my children. From the basics, “don’t chew with your mouth open,” to the classics, “do not take what does not belong to you, whether that be a crayon or a car,” the weight of this job rightfully, but stressfully, falls onto my shoulders. And as one of the most essential duties that I will have as a parent, this is not something that I choose to take lightly.

I am and always have been an independent thinker, and therefore am emboldened enough to believe that I have formed my most basic opinions and values through logical thought and self reflection. This does not mean, however, that I am naive enough to think that I was not also greatly influenced by the beliefs of my parents. Whether I embraced their views wholeheartedly, or vehemently rejected them, their stance on social, political and economical issues affected my own in one way or another. Because of this, I understand the critical importance of imparting my own values and beliefs onto my children, and then stepping back and not only hoping like hell that I have raised them in such a way that they are able to discern the good from the bad, the vital from the non-committal, and so on, but that they are also strong enough in their own beliefs that they will be able to hold them high in the face of the doubt, criticism and unadulterated hate that is sure to come their way.

In this day and age, we as parents do not only have to fear that all of our hard work will be undone by the influence of our children’s peers, but we have every reason to also fear the overreaching authority of the school system, and ultimately the strong arm of the government. The influence and control we once held over our families is not only being threatened, but effectively extinguished by the powers that be. Traditional values are being replaced by the more accepted progressive agenda, hard work and a strive for excellence have been rejected and replaced with the “even playing field”, and instead of learning about the Constitution and the pursuit of happiness, our children are instead being indoctrinated and manipulated into embracing the pursuit of social justice. Instead of life lessons such as winning and losing, the next generation is being led to believe that everyone should get a trophy, no matter who put in the work, who excelled, and who merely did not try hard enough. Our children are being taught that their parents’ views are simply outdated; that they just do not apply in this new “worldly” day and age, and that quite frankly, we are just wrong. When placed up against that, how are we as parents supposed to compete? How can we successfully raise fair, competent and hard working future adults when the entire system is telling them that they can sit back and let others do the work for them and still walk away with that coveted trophy?

One word: Un-indoctrination.

That’s right, un-indoctrination. Our children are currently being set up to fail, and we do not have to accept this as the status quo. It is our most basic and fundamental job to protect our children and that job does not stop when our children step on the school bus. Instead of simply sending them to school with their backpack and a thumbs up, we should send them with the knowledge and resources that they will need to succeed in a world that is telling them that success is in the eye of the beholder, something that can be shared in without any actual ownership of it. If we arm them with the values, beliefs and convictions that are time tested and strong enough to combat any and all crippling ideology that comes their way, success will be theirs to own, not theirs to share with their hardworking neighbor.

Instead of building on the false pretense that success is owed to us, we owe it to our children to instead teach them that success is the result of our own struggle, and that without that struggle there would be no achievement. It is vital that they understand that we cannot borrow on the struggles of the past, that we cannot make our neighbors struggles our own, and that we should not capitalize on the struggle of the collective. We must find our own struggle, work hard to conquer, and build our own accomplishments around them. Building a future on the success of others is like building a house with no foundation; eventually the system is going to collapse and you will be left with nothing. Unless our children understand this, they will never truly appreciate what they have, and will never have to their greatest potential.

In a time where we are all “hyphenated-Americans”, it is easier to focus on what makes us different than it is to embrace what unites us as Americans. Being the victim is easier than being the conqueror of adversity, and taking a handout is easier than dirtying your hands with hard work. My daughter, because of her ethnicity, may one day be able to achieve a job that she may or may not qualify for, a scholarship that she may or may not have earned, and a heavy decision to go with each. It is my job to instill in her the values necessary to make that decision, but ultimately the decision will be hers to make. Will she strive for the 4.0 necessary to win that competitive academic scholarship, or will she sit back, relax and skate through school knowing that a “minority” scholarship awaits her, not because of the quality of her work, but because of the color of her skin. If I do my job as her parent, the decision should be easy.

If we instill these values at home and bring back the unwavering principles of the Constitution and our Founders, our children will have the convictions necessary to stand on their own without the desire to take the easy way out. Instead of being victims of the societal machine, they will transcend the need for that so-called ‘social justice’, and will succeed by simply pursuing their own Life, Liberty, and Happiness.

Heather Winn, Guest Writer