Free Republic

In my last column, I proposed some explanations for why many conservative parents have left-wing children. In a nutshell, American parents who hold traditional American values — such as belief in small government as the basis of liberty, or a God-based moral code, or American military strength as the greatest contributor to world peace and stability, or American exceptionalism, not to mention the man-woman definition of marriage or the worth of a human fetus — are at war with almost every influence on their children’s lives. This includes, most important, the media and the schools. Here, then, are some suggestions...

practice outreaches is warning that it appears children of homosexual couples are seven times more likely to develop "non-heterosexual preferences" than other children, but lawmakers establishing policy often don't know that because the researchers have concealed their discoveries. "Research … although not definitive, suggests that children reared by openly homosexual parents are far more likely to engage in homosexual behavior than children raised by others," said the online report by Trayce L. Hansen. Studies she reviewed suggest children raised by homosexual or bisexual parents "are approximately seven times more likely than the general population to develop a non-heterosexual sexual preference."...

State attorney general says no current laws prohibit it, child's best interest is key - NASHVILLE — The state constitution in Tennessee does not prohibit gay couples from adopting children, the state attorney general said in an opinion released Thursday. Attorney General Bob Cooper wrote that same-sex couples are eligible to adopt children so long as the adoption is found to be in the best interest of the child. The opinion had been requested by Wilson County Circuit Judge Clara Byrd, who did not return a call seeking comment about why she had asked for the opinion. The Tennessee...

One of the great ironies of our time is that today’s parents, with more professional resources at their disposal than ever before, are experiencing more and greater problems in the area of discipline than their grandparents even thought possible. Once upon a not-so-very-long-ago time, children were mischievous. They tried to get away with what they thought they could when adults weren’t looking. All too many of today’s kids are surly, rude, disrespectful, ill-mannered, petulant, and openly defiant. The nature of the child has not changed in fifty years, so the problem must lie with changes in how parents are going...

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has been busy for 10 years ... creating gay student groups at hundreds of high schools and passing laws or regulations that limit or eliminate harassment aimed at homosexuals....The organization has also used part of its $4.3 million budget to promote a reading list for students as young as those in kindergarten.... At the high school level, some of this indoctrination might be excused on the grounds that students are old enough to make personal choices and maybe some of them can define terms like "sexuality" and "gender." No such excuse can...

CONCORD -- For David Parker, the first alarm went off in January, when his 5-year-old son came home from his kindergarten class at Lexington's Joseph Estabrook School with a bag of books promoting diversity. Inside were books about foreign cultures and traditions, along with food recipes. There was also a copy of ''Who's In a Family?" by Robert Skutch, which depicts different kinds of families, including same-sex couples raising children. The book's contents concerned Parker and prompted him to begin a series of e-mail exchanges with school officials on the subject that culminated in a meeting Wednesday night with Estabrook's...

Do you work long hours? Are your kids spending more time with their grandparents or the at the babysitter's than with you? Well, according to a Bristol University study, children aged below two years, who are left under the care of their grandparents or close family friends, are not likely to flourish at school. On the other hand, children left with paid carers are more likely to come out with flying colours in future. Researchers examined 7,000 children born in the Avon district in 1991 and 1992 from birth until they were seven years old. The 'significant' detrimental effects when...

Data Says Kids Better Off with Mom and DadBy AFA JournalJuly 1, 2004 (AgapePress) - An examination of the latest data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that, from a purely economic standpoint, children do better if they are living with both their mother and father.“The householders in married-couple families had higher proportions in the labor force, they owned their own home, and they were not living in poverty -- all good signs for the children living in these families,” said Terry Lugaila, a statistician with the Census Bureau.The study, titled “Children and the Households They Live In:...