Oh my - parents beware

I have 3 drafts going right now, and I'll get them posted ASAP. However, this is really scary!

Child Rights Campaign

Now, I realize that "child rights" sounds so lovely and sweet - so why would it have me concerned? Hmm... how long do you have??

Apparently, the UN had adopted a policy on Children's rights, and to date all members of the UN have ratified this policy to their constitutions except for the United States and Somalia. Now there is a movement to get the US to ratify this to our constitution.

Now, before we even delve into the whole parenting side of this, from a legal standpoint, ratifying this to our constitution would be a mistake. The United States would be saying that it's own constitution is not adequate, binding, or the ultimate authority in the United States. We would be accepting the authority of another entity for policy and lawmaking. Doesn't anyone see this as a problem? We will be giving up our rights to govern ourselves, and would then be subject to UN regulations and rulings. What happened to our democracy?? Our national pride?? Are we going to be the UN's lap dogs, and put ourselves at risk? What happens if someone violates this policy? Will the be held accountable to the US - or to the UN?

If you read the first page of the link I posted, you will see some ridiculous statements. These are made to appeal to your emotions, not to logic and reason. It states that children have "unique status in our society", and that they are "vulnerable" and need to be protected.

In the third paragraph, they proclaim how children are the future and that we must "raise resilient children who will make good citizens, who care about others, who share our values, and who will make excellent parents." They also claim that childhood needs to be made a priority if children will thrive.

Do we not already do these things? The Declaration of Independence proclaims: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," and our Constitution starts: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Children are afforded the same basic rights of every single human being in this country. In fact, the only thing that a child is barred from participating in are actual privileges - not rights! (drinking, driving, shooting a gun, voting, etc...) Other issues are left up to the parent for a large extent - meals (vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, etc...), education - public, private, home - college/tradeschool/work, religion, activities - sports, dance, music, etc... Are not the majority of parents creating "resilient" children, children with morals and values, children who "care about others", and even children who learn how to parent well? If they haven't been doing this for hundreds of years - I don't believe we'd be having this discussion! I am not denying that there are rotten parents or adults who abuse, neglect, and abandon children - nor do I deny the fact that the legal system sometimes fails these children - but there are laws and "safeguards" in place ALREADY. Their failings don't require more laws - the failings require correction within the legal system that is already in place.

The last paragraph, as both a Christian and a parent, really gets my blood boiling.

"Children are seldom considered as a factor in decision-making. It is passed the time that we think about how our decisions affect the lives of each and every child. After all, we are going to have to live with the consequences of our actions."

EVERY responsible parent (and especially Christian parent) considers how his or her actions affect the children and the other people in their lives. To claim otherwise is a serious fallacy and only shows how this is an attempt to exploit emotions and ellicit a non-rational reaction. As for children not being considered as a factor in decision making - do they mean that folks dont think of them, or that kids aren't always allowed a "decision"? The point of children having parents who restrict certain "choices" or "decisions" is to PROTECT the children from their CHILDISH thinking and decision making skills while also TEACHING them how to develop the correct mindset, thinking, and decision-making skills that will be crucial in ADULTHOOD!

1Cr 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Blue letter Bible website

As Christians, we take our parenting responsibilities very seriously. We take nothing for granted - whether it be their education, their friends, their values and morals, their daily activities, daily nourishment, etc... Sure, we mess up at times - and sure, there are those who are evil parents (and call themselves Christian), but there is no reason to take a policy from the UN and make it a national law for the United States. We already have laws to protect our children from fiends - we don't need laws to protect them from good parents!

If the US were to accept this policy, we would be stepping straight into a beehive. Parents will find all THEIR rights as parents stripped effectively overnight, and the nation will see its rights and self-government gone just as quickly.

Personally, this seems like a very immature position to take. "Everyone else is jumping off the bridge mom and dad... can't I do it too???"

Don't fail your children - pay attention to this movement and prepare to stop it dead in its tracks.

In an interesting side note, if you click on the "get informed" tab, then on the left - click on the link for "What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)?", you will see that the top prioritized rights is "the right to Survival". Gee, would that mean that abortion would be illegal then - since murder and tearing a fetus apart tends to threaten the survival of children, I would think they would have to overturn Roe V. Wade.

Another scary point is that there is an awful use of vague language - particularly in the Summary - particularly "in their best interests." There is a lot of power given to the government to "ensure" those interests, and by presumption - to decide what those best interests will be instead of allowing the parent to make that decision.

Well...