“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

–Author unknown

If you’d been aboard when Lost in Space debuted 57 years ago, only to return today, would you recognize our current society? Consider the following:

• The feds have decided our passports can be labeled “Gender X.”

• A young man decides he’s a woman and swims competitively with college women, blowing away the field in the process. This at an Ivy League school and they don’t know what to do. Brilliant.

• We are encouraged to be gender neutral–no more pronouns like “he” and “she.” Guess I’m now “Grandparent,” not “Pops.”

• Once your kids get on the public school bus, as a parent you’re expected to abdicate your role in what they’re taught.

• A Supreme Court nominee is unable, or unwilling, to define the word “woman.” (From what I saw and read, she handled herself well, but this was a head-scratcher.)

• Employees of a major vacation destination demand that their CEO take their progressive side on a legal issue.

Did you hear? The “happiest place on Earth” isn’t so happy right now, and not solely because Disney World has priced many everyday Americans out of their market.

Disney employees forced their boss to publicly oppose a proposed Florida law forbidding the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation to children in K through 3rd grade. It’s also prohibited for older kids unless it’s age- and developmentally-appropriate.

(A side note: I know I’m old-fashioned, but how about sticking to reading, writing, and arithmetic in our schools?)

To suggest the law is anti-LBGQT is simple-minded at best, and mendacious at worst, and is similar to the effort some people make to reduce any white vs. black issue to “racism.” It’s called demagoguery.

Those opposed to the bill have labeled it as “Don’t say Gay,” and they are correct; but the label “Don’t say Straight” would also be correct. This is not about homosexuality.

This is about what children should be exposed to, at what age, and by whom.

We all understand people have differing views on same-sex marriage. Over the years of my practice, I had the opportunity to care for several children in families of same-sex parents.

What I observed were parents who loved and cared for their children, provided for them, and sought quality medical care for them.

What I didn’t observe were same-sex parents denying their gender. They were two-dad or two-mom couples, not gender-neutral parents.

We have more genetic material in our DNA that defines gender than we do that determines our skin color. Would you get up one day and decide you were of a different race? And if you did, how would that be received?

Folks, somewhere our society has come off the rails and we’ve lost our way. People are taking positions far removed from the mainstream…and they have every right to do so.

But, they don’t have the right to impose those values or beliefs on society at large. We can and should respect peoples’ right to a minority opinion, but I’m pretty sure “the majority rules” still applies.

These folks should be heard, not silenced. But, to insert this into early ed curricula is, in my opinion, a bridge too far. Teaching the “birds and the bees” to these kids ought to be about, well, actual birds and bees.

To allow a complex issue like gender neutrality or confusion to be taught within the mainstream of early education is wrong. Kids five to eight years of age are not ready to discuss issues so complicated that adults don’t fully understand them.

Two weeks ago, I suggested we went astray due to a move towards secularism and away from the spiritual. While God should be our primary anchor, we also need to get back to the nuclear family.

Two parents in the home, modeling love, commitment, the value of hard work, and respect for others, is a priceless asset for children of any age. As I’ve cited previously, a child from a single parent home, especially if that parent’s a young, poor mom, is statistically more likely to experience failure in life.

Our entire culture, system of government, and established law are born out of our moral standards. There is no better laboratory in which to inculcate those standards than the family unit.

Parents know their children better than anyone, and it is their responsibility to teach them about complicated moral issues.

I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, but we’re fighting a culture war that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of our society. Children anchored within a strong family structure will be far better equipped to handle life’s complex issues.

I’m optimistic and hopeful we’ll get back on track.