Adults Teach, Children Learn

However well-meant the sentiment may be that "we adults learn more from kids than we could ever teach them," it is actually harmful to children and to society. While it's true that parents especially can learn about such positive attributes as patience, unconditional love, and humility, they learn these by virtue of being parents and not directly from their children.

Children are just beginning their journey. They lack knowledge and life experiences that bring wisdom. They need boundaries, direction, and guidance. They may test us by acting out, which translates into a cry for help, this cry sounding something like, "Where is someone I can rely on to teach me what to think and feel about everything ? Where is someone to teach me the proper emotional responses to the things I see and hear around  me?"

Could it be that many modern adults haven't grown up themselves? Could it be they are stuck in the Peter Pan syndrome as a way to escape from the responsibility and accountability that comes with adulthood? Could it be that our culture worships youth, beauty,and feelings over experience, knowledge, and wisdom? Could it be that the adults of today themselves were not taught the correct emotional responses to this or that?

Or maybe the "superior wisdom of children" philosophy has invisibly seeped into our culture as a guilt-ridden throw-back from the indulged-child generation. In the midst of our great prosperity, we have spent more time being entertained, competing with the Joneses, and pursuing our own "fulfillment" than passing on values to our children. We feel guilty for giving our children too much, for not teaching them proper values, for not being good examples of the best virtues. As a way to assuage our guilt we pretend to trade places. Adults are the children, children are the adults.

What an upside-down society we have become, in whatever degree. We need to resist this trend. All adults know things kids don't. All adults have experience kids don't. Kids need leaders to follow. Kids need teachers to teach them. They are relying on us. We mustn't let them down.

The next time you are tempted to say how wonderful such and so child or teenager or group of children or teenagers is and how much you have learned from them, and how they have taught you more than you could ever teach them, stop right there and think about it. Kids are always learning from adults. Something. If they are too smart and too good for you, then who is teaching them and what is it they are learning?

Good people need to step up and do their duty to the rising generation because bad people are having their way with them. Case in point: The Utah State Education Office and our school district has approved a maturation program for our elementary schools produced by Planned Parenthood. It's subtle. It's cute. And it's all wrong. View the video on line at growningupfirst.org. 

Somebody's teaching the children. Is it you?

Check out what maturation presentation is being used this spring at your 5th grade child's school. Look for both subtle and blatant language that denigrates traditional values and misrepresents reality. Then feel free to check out our own free maturation presentations for boys and girls at standardofliberty.org. and use them in your home or present them to use in your school.

Since When

Since when did alcoholism become a genetic predisposition instead of what it is? (A vice.) Since when did illegal drug dealing become a profitable enterprise instead of what it is? ( A vice.) Since when did prostitution become "sex work" instead of what it is? ( A vice). Since when did pornography production become a multi-billion dollar industry  instead of what it is? (A vice.) Since when did porn addiction become something a person "suffers from" instead of what it is? (A vice.) Since when did homosexuality become a person's "identity" instead of what it is? (A vice.) Since when did pedophilia become "man-boy love" instead of what it is? ( A vice.) Since when did statutory rape become consensual sex instead of what it is? (A vice.) Since when did unlimited sexual freedom trump religious freedom in our courts instead of being condemned for what it is? (A vice.)

Another word for vice is sin. People participate in vices and sins because they get something out of them. They wouldn't do them unless they got an escape, a thrill, a fix, money, power, or other personal benefits. In other words, they are not "suffering from" these things; they are choosing to act out in them for specific reasons. Sin is pleasurable, for a time. Yes, some participants in these vices may suffer some pangs of guilt or frustration, but not enough to override the pleasure they get. And yes, many benefit from support and even professional help to break free of these vices and sins if they really want to. But unless they are certifiably mentally ill or possessed of a devil, they are accountable for their thoughts, desires, and acts. And they have to desire with all their hearts to give up their love of the sin, or they won't give it up.Often they have to hit bottom, as they say, before they'll begin repentance.

Sadly, the concepts of sin and vice are no longer used much at all. Instead, we're using soft and inoffensive words to describe them, words that shift responsibility from the individual to causes outside the person's control. Apparently, because human beings are not to be blamed,  we're all supposed to respect and even protect and celebrate the following: the inclination toward drunkenness, drug exploitation and abuse, the pornography industry, the use of  pornography, and the flaunting of perverse and harmful sexual inclinations. Since when?


When a culture ceases to call vice vice and sin sin, and instead uses language that excuses and shifts all the responsibility for sin onto something like fate, genes, environment, trends, or evolution, we've lost our hold on reality, on truth, and on God. Since when have all these damaging absurdities become accepted? Since our culture turned its back on human nature and experience. Since our culture began to care more about this life than the next. Since our culture got all wrapped up in itself. Since our culture tossed out God. History repeats itself yet again.