Disappointing News

From this foxnews.com article we learn that

"Between 2005 and 2006, the number of teenage girls between the ages 15 to 17 having babies rose by more than 5,700 to 138,920, from a record low of 133,138, according to an annual report on the health and well-being of children and teens published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics."

In addition to this sad bit of news, we got the following cluster of facts:

"— The number of babies born to unwed mothers continues to increase. In 2006, 38 percent of all births were to unmarried women, up from 37 percent in 2005. The percentage of children under age 18 living with two married parents fell from 77 percent in 1980 to 68 percent in 2007. The percentage of unmarried births to women in their 20s tripled, from 19 to 58 percent for women ages 20 to 24 and from 9 to 31 percent for women ages 25 to 29. The percentage of births to unmarried women in their 30s more than doubled from 8 to 18 percent"

Immorality, as it has been since the Creation, is still a sin. And the "fruit" of immorality must live with its consequences, which are highlighted by the fact that 32% of children under age 18 are living with fewer than two parents. That's nearly one in three. This is very sad...and it does not bode well for the future of our country. [I wonder when the presidential candidates will address this? It's a whole lot more important than whether we drill offshore for oil, isn't it?]

America needs a revival, followed by a turning from sin. Then these statistics will approach the 0% level—where they should be.

Yet Another Reason Not To Vote For Obama

In this townhall.com article, we learn a number of facts about both what Barack Obama wants to do with everyone's preschool children, and also some other interesting (and troubling) statistics about what's going on with preschool children in America. But here are the beginning and ending of the article...which I think sum up the key points:

One of the most dramatic changes in American life in the years since World War II involves the way we raise our children.

We used to do it ourselves. Now, convinced we have better things to do, many of us leave the job to others.

Encouraging this flight from parenthood, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has proposed what he calls his "Zero to Five" plan. It is a collection of programs aimed at getting the government involved in the raising of your children from the moment they are born.

"The first part of my plan focuses on providing quality affordable early childhood education to every child in America," Obama said in a November speech. "As president, I will launch a Children's First Agenda that provides care, learning and support to families with children ages zero to five."

"We'll create Early Learning Grants to help states create a system of high-quality early care and education for all young children and their families," he said. "And we'll help more working parents find a safe, affordable place to leave their children during the day by improving the educational quality of our childcare programs and increasing the childcare tax credit."

This week, Obama upped his ante by vowing to "double funding for after-school programs that help children learn and give parents relief."

Obama, of course, will also continue to defend your "right" to hire a physician to kill your child in utero so you won't have to raise the child at all.

....

Through his plans to increase government funding and control of the rearing of children ages "zero to five," Barack Obama would increase, rather than decrease, the force that drives mothers of infants to leave them in someone else's care. He would also cause a wholly unjust transfer of wealth.

Old-fashioned moms and dads who insist on caring for their own pre-school children will pay for -- but gain no benefit from -- programs that put the government in the business of caring for children whose moms and dads would both rather work outside the home than work raising a child.

News That Should Concern ME

Something happened yesterday that I really, in my optimism, thought would never happen until at least a few years from now.

Just after lunch and before my 5th hour seventh grade math class, my beloved eldest daughter (age 10, grade 5), came into my classroom to greet me. In tow she has a young man with a visitor tag, whom I have never seen before. He seems like a pleasant kid, smiling and enjoying his day; and it was, after all, an open house day where visitors come to check out the school. My daughter hugs me, and I hug her, and then the young man opens his mouth. The very first words from his mouth are these:

"I think your daughter's hot."

It is a testimony to God's grace that I didn't say anything right away. If he weren't so wholesome looking and only in fifth grade himself, I might have even scowled...but I didn't do that, either.

Apparently, I was not the only person aware of this; everyone in the fifth grade knew this boy's thought, and even one of the office ladies added additional information. She added that the boy said that my daughter "might very well be my first girlfriend."

And my wife wonders why I want a gun....

Polygamists, Child Custody, and You

Much has been made in the media about the dozens of kids taken from the polygamists' compound in Texas the other day. And now, much is being made about the subsequent custody battle. Should their mothers be entrusted with the kids, or should the kids be placed in foster homes?

In recent years, the trend in custody-related cases has been to put kids with their own biological parents as much as possible, on the belief that this was best for the kids. Of course, in many cases, it wasn't; so there were some decisions that, in retrospect, would be changed.

The main issue regarding the children from the Texas compound was not that there was "physical abuse" by the mothers, but that the children were pressured to marry at illegally young ages. I can certainly see where the state legal system would not want to put the children back with the men, but I do not see why the mothers, in general, could not retain the children if they did not return to the compound.

The "other" issue is this: IF the mothers are eventually denied custody of their children for the primary reason that polygamy and young marriage is promoted among them, then is it not logical that in the near future, Christians could be denied custody of their children because "politically incorrect" ideas are promoted? Could we see our children taken away because we believe that homosexuality is evil, wives should obey their husbands, or corporal punishment (properly applied) is appropriate?

A Good, Clean Family Fun Idea!

Do you want to have a good time with your kids (especially if they're of elementary age)? Here's an idea: Take them blueberry picking. And really play it up before you go, too. Last Saturday I took my three girls to the local blueberry U-Pick place. I was a little perturbed at the sharp rise in price from last year, but the four of us picked about 23 pounds of blueberries together. Aside from the heat, they had a great time. I had taken the older two girls each of the past two summers, and each time, they start talking about next year's trip...on the way home in the car!

If you don't live in an area where blueberries are indigenous, try something else—strawberries, apples, oranges (for you Floridians), or even vegetables—especially if it's something your children like to eat! This is just one way to have an enjoyable time with your kids and do something productive and healthy.