Parents are Activists

What difference does a parent make?

In spite of social media, the influence of music and TV, and the excessive amount of time children spend in schools, day care centers, and after-school activities, parents are the greatest influence in the life of a child. When a man or woman chooses to parent, he or she is taking social activism beyond mere words. Choosing to be a father is a choice to guide a child to contribute to the world around him or her. Fathering is a decision to curate talents and gifts that lie hidden in each person, while creating a disciplined home environment that allows children to grow and thrive in security and safety.

Fathers have the ability to speak life into the dreams of their children by silencing their fears about the future and helping them envision a future where they are capable, successful, and resilient enough to overcome challenges that will inevitably arise. For mothers, the activism begins from the moment of conception, where her body is a fountain of life rather than a cavern of death.

The choice to carry a child is affirmed in every healthy decision throughout the term of the pregnancy. Mothers communicate their hope for the future by being willing to nurture and carry a person who is dependent on this selfless woman for his or her survival. The masses applaud social activism when the impact of their championing is obvious and sustained over time. We applaud new policies and new programs that change lives and create conditions for people to be the best version of themselves. But the applause fades when it comes to mothers. Their selflessness is ignored and their sacrifices are often not celebrated. But the real social influencers are the women who chose to carry the future and then raise children who will transform tomorrow. When women are encouraged to abort, they’re not only encouraged to kill the innocence they carry; they’re also being encouraged to sabotage and silence the hope of the future.

Parents make the difference for the children they nurture, the lives they support, and the futures they create. Taking an unapologetic stand for life and parenting children is not the end of real activism. It is only the beginning.

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