Gender Confessions: Valuing Men & Women Part 1 [Video Exclusive]

Husband and wife working together

The success of the family depends upon each family member feeling valued and fulfilling their full potential. 
 
In this one of a kind video Nicholeen and David talk about how men are facing an identity crisis and how women and men both need to be valued for future familial success.
 
There is also talk about how laziness and love of pleasure are taking over the male identity and how technology has played a part in devaluing men and women.
 
This video is the first part of a two segment series called Gender Confessions: Valuing Men & Women.

[[{“fid”:”96″,”view_mode”:”default”,”type”:”media”,”link_text”:null,”attributes”:{“height”:”315″,”width”:”560″,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]

A Year To Remember For The Utah Legislature!

UtahCapitol2.jpg

This year WOW was actively engaged in the Utah Legislature fighting to protect religious libertites, parental rights, family, and rights of conscience.  There were a lot of bills and resolutions this session that are worth talking about.  

The biggest topic on Utah capitol hill for the past few years has been what to do about the anti-discrimination bills that keep pushing language that would not protect religious liberties.  WOW has fought dilligently for the past three years to protect religious liberties. 

SB99, SB100, HB322, SB297 and SB296 were a handful of the bills that asked for religious liberties or anti-discrimination legislation or both.  Of these bills SB296 and SB297 passed.  This last bill was a balanced bill calling for anti-discrimination in housing and employment, but also calling for protection of religious liberties.  

During this legislative session the LDS church spoke out in favor of SB296 and SB297undoubtably making a positive influence on their passing. The ACLU opposed these bills. WOW was very disappointed that HB322 did not pass as it was a very good bill for protecting religious liberties.  

There was an exciting bill stating that parents must opt their children into sex ed. classes now.  This is a great precaution to take to protect the consciences of children and religious freedoms as well as parental rights.

HB48 passed.  This bill prevents some uses of powdered alcohol.  This is good news. 

WOW was opposed to HB391 the death with diginity (assisted suicide) bill. Luckily this bill did not pass. 

WOW was opposed to HB134 which was a homeschool tax credit bill.  We felt that this bill would potentially lead to regulation of homeschooling families in the future leading to possible violations of parent rights, and it is not a fair bill to other families who don’t have children in public schools and won’t get credits.  This bill did not pass. 

SB175 unfortunately passed.  It was a bill designed to create a school safety help line for children.  This hotline will be promoted to children.  The calls will be taken by unknown people at the University of Utah and parents will not be told if their child calls the number.  We have not been able to determine what kinds of advice or services can be offered by the unknown people at the college.  We see this bill as a very possible violation of conscience and a definate violation of parental rights to help their own children.  We felt it would be better to adopt a plan to teach children to talk more with their parents and teachers instead of take more tax money to refer children to strangers whose morals are not known. 

These were some of the big bills we watched and chimed in on.  But, there are always some kind of ridiculous bills like this one.  Did you know that in Utah code it says it is against the law to ride a bicycle with no hands?  Some things are not meant to be made into laws.  

It is important that we all stay as informed as possible so that we can stand up for the principles and values we hold dear.  

Mothers Standing For Family At The United Nations CSW 2015

UN Security Council.jpg

In 1995 the United Nations had a monumental meeting in Bejing.  Part of this document created 20 years ago was this statement, “The family is the basic unit of society and as such should be strengthened…Women make a great contribution to the welfare of the family and to the development of society which is still not recognized or considered in its full importance. The social significance of maternity, motherhood and the role of parents in the family and in the upbringing of children should be acknowledged. The upbringing of children requires shared responsibilty of parents, women and men and society as a whole.”  

This statement is in harmony with the mural that provides a backdrop for the Security Council Hall at the United Nations in New York.  Right in the center of the painting is an oval with a woman and a man getting married.  They have a child at their feet which seems to symbolize the marriage as the union that creates stable populations. 

2014 was my first year visiting the CSW [Conference on the Status of Women] event at the United Nations.  After my first experience I was not sure the United Nations remembered how important the family was, but this year I have higher hopes. Don’t get me wrong I am not a fan of global micro-managing or anything like that, but I do think that unity on important issues can help strengthen societies and offer support. 

For many activists who come to the United Nations the global platform is used to elevate the idividual as the most important unit of society.  The arguments for supporting the individual are not usually made with future generations in mind.  The real extreme activists want unlimited abortions, fewer children, more government intervention, forced equality (this never works as then the other party, men, become the oppressed), legal pornography and prostitution (pimping) which lead to child trafficking, and government mandated freedoms for personal preferences. 

This year WOW along with many others promoted the language in the 1995 Beijing document.  We promoted the family as the basic unit of society and spoke about ways we could strengthen the family. 

WOWs Events 

WOW hosted three parallel events this year at the CSW conference.  First we had and event called “The Power of Calm: Increasing The Influence Of Women” by me (Nicholeen Peck).  In this class we talked about how important calmness was and about how freeing it can be.  We also talked about how women promote calmness in all their environments but especially in the home.  And, when women create calm homes their children become free and powerful.

[[{“fid”:”91″,”view_mode”:”default”,”type”:”media”,”link_text”:null,”attributes”:{“height”:1936,”width”:2592,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]

Our second event featured Jacky and Jose Aponte, parents of 12 children.  The Apontes talked about their story of poverty, abuse, and loss of identity.  Then they shared the solution to these problems; the family.  There were tears and laughs and everyone left with some ideas for how they can strengthen their families. The class was called “Family University”. 

[[{“fid”:”92″,”view_mode”:”default”,”type”:”media”,”link_text”:null,”attributes”:{“height”:1936,”width”:2592,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]

WOW’s third event was presented by the women of WOW Africa.  The class educated people about the problem facing women in parts of Africa, like Nigeria, when a spouse dies.  Women are not allowed to inherit property if their husband dies and are often left without basic necessities of life.  With no money or property and often times no education as well as the customary (socially manditory) one year of grieving the woman and her children are left in terrible hardship.  The women and men of WOW Africa talked about solutions to these problems facing African women and girls.  

[[{“fid”:”93″,”view_mode”:”default”,”type”:”media”,”link_text”:null,”attributes”:{“height”:1936,”width”:2592,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]

The SDGs 

In 2000 the MDGs (Millenial Development Goals) were made to last fifteen years.  They were the focus for the nations for these past fifteen years, but are now ready to be reviewed and news goals are to be made.  The new goals are called SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). These goals are supposed to represent the most important areas of focus for the world for the upcoming fifteen years.  They are being discussed now at the United Nations. 

WOW feels the family, as the basic unit of society, promotes equality and identity because it provides a history and an identity for a growing child. When mothers and fathers fulfill their roles in the family children learn what their future roles in society can and should be for a sustainable future. Without strong families, societies decline and decay. Strengthening families needs to be the highest priority.

The family is the perfect development goal.

To see a very interesting and informative meeting that WOW participated in about making ‘The Family’ a new SDG go here. 

https://m.webtv.un.org/watch/the-family-as-the-agent-of-gender-equality-a…

Others Are Feeling The Call To Support The Family Too! 

At events, in caucus meetings, and in conversations with people from all over the world I found people who are concerned about the family and want to strengthen it.  There were people speaking out about moral issues and in support of the role of men in our society too.  Sure, those promoting the family at the United Nations are still the minority.  But, the numbers are growing.  People are seeing that the truth about what is most important is just not getting enough press or support.  The most important and basic unit of all society is the family. We cannot forget. 

To Get More Important Updates From WOW Sign Up For Our FREE Newsletter On Our Home Page!!! 

 

Entitlement Issues: Children Are Atmospheric Creatures

FamilyatHome-1024x683.jpg

While flying 23,000 feet above the earth through clouds and sky the world looks a bit different. The small aircraft is surrounded by parts of the atmosphere. While on the ground it is easy to think of earth as separate from atmosphere even though any science class would prove otherwise. But in the air in a small vehicle that is fairly vulnerable to the elements and the air currents and clouds, it is easy to feel at one with the atmosphere. At this height the plane is part of the sky and dependent upon the atmosphere for safety and direction.

Children are also atmospheric travelers during their stage of life.

Just like an aircraft in the heavenly atmosphere of clouds and gases is dependent upon the atmosphere for safety and direction, children are also atmospheric travelers during their stage of life.

Indeed, all people to some degree are likely atmospheric, but some adults are able to successfully create their own atmospheres despite the current trends, fads or media messages that surround them. These adults are the deliberate kind of individuals who find principles and feel duty-bound to follow principle instead of pop culture or trends.

Children can learn to be these kinds of adults too, but while they are children they are very dependent upon the atmosphere that surrounds them for their learning and development.

When observing the development of babies, it is easy to see them learn from their environment. The young ones who have parents who talk to them often become early talkers. The babies who are surrounded by children who hit and bite, soon learn to hit and bite. And babies who are left in front of a TV are soon very happy being disconnected from people and connected to screens instead.

This atmospheric learning doesn’t stop when they are older. Older children who are over-socialized crave more and more socialization. Children who are fed too much want more and more food. And children who are not taught respect for parents will not respect parents. Children who are around other angry or whiny people will become just like the angry whiny people in their atmosphere.

Luckily, the atmosphere of love, respect, forgiveness, work, good communication, feeling valued, and education will still create a child who exemplifies all of these things. Good atmospheres are equally as powerful as damaging ones.

One of the biggest destroyers of the current social atmosphere children are raised in is entitlement. There are two kinds of entitlement problems that parents all over the world are dealing with, and the second problem is far worse than the first.

The first, most obvious, entitlement problem mindset society continues to push is entitlement to things. Never before in the history of the world have there been so many things. Innovators and technological geniuses have blessed us with more gadgets and machines than we could ever use in a lifetime. The world is full of interesting stuff. Adults want this stuff, and so do children.

Children have always looked in shop windows and catalogs for the newest toys or inventions, but now the lists of inventions is changing by the month and the children are demanding to keep up with the latest. It doesn’t help that popular culture seems to have embraced the idea that children must have this stuff or they will not grow up properly or safe. The truth is children will grow up very well without gadgets and devices.

The second entitlement problem mindset our society has taught is far more concerning than the first entitlement issue that is primarily a consumer trap to buy. The second mindset is that the children believe that they deserve to be treated with adult-like respect by their parents and other adults. Children used to respect and learn from adults, and now impertinent kids are demanding respect from parents and are wanting to be the leaders of their parents.

There is no blanket answer for why this has happened because there are so many unique families with unique mindsets and circumstances. But, there are a few really dominant trends that seem to be causing this entitlement problem.

First, let me be clear about respecting children. Children should be respected. But respect means to regard or reverence the person’s role. If a child is respected as an adult when they are still a child, it actually disrespects and disables the child. Children need to be respected as children, which means adults need to teach them, correct them, forgive them and love them.

The dominant trends leading to children feeling entitled for adult respect are: parents don’t want to have the responsibility of a parent so children feel the lack of a leader, we no longer teach children to turn to their parents for answers and teaching, and the world seems to see children as needing protection from adults; even parents.

There are many parents who don’t want to have to grow up and be parents. The media masterfully shows actors and actresses who never grow up and who behave as teenagers even though they are supposed to be the wise adult character in the situation. This never-grow-up idea, that started with Peter Pan, is enticing to adults and they can’t help but hope for eternal youth and vitality.

To buy into these ideas is to buy a lie and to set themselves up for a life of disappointment. Adults today have what Mark Wanstall calls, “…the emptying out of the adult identity.” This lack of identity leads children to feel abandoned and to take drastic often impulsive measures to get their needs met.

Back in the days of “Leave it to Beaver” and “Little House on the Prairie” parents were the source of wisdom and the solution to all of life’s problems. When trouble came, the children would try to figure it out on their own, but would ultimately have to talk to their parents for the problem to be fully addressed and solved. Sure there were some adults presented, like Harriet the shop keeper’s wife in “Little House on the Prairie”, who ended up causing problems sometimes, but the wise Ingalls’ parents never fell for the social traps that Harriet fell for.

Now days, the media frequently portrays parents as old fashioned, clueless, uncaring, and selfish at best. Often parents are even seen as abusive or cruel. The message is that children need to get away from parents for safety.

Now, certainly there are some very sad cases where parents have violated the trust and conscience of their child by not protecting the child or even abusing the child, but by and large these cases are still very rare in comparison to the number of families who are working diligently to teach and love their children during all of life’s challenges. Parents are the first most reliable line of defense for youth.

As a society, instead of focusing on finding the best way to outsource parenting, by creating activities, friends, classes or call centers, we should be focusing on strengthening parents and teaching children to go to their parents for help and instruction.

It is popular to hear talk about child rights. The word right means “a just claim”. Some of the rights mentioned in social circles are rights to cell phones, rights to sexual privacy, rights to not go to church, rights to any media they want, etc. In the United States these rights do not legally exist. In fact the only right that children have besides the usual constitutional rights is the right to parents. They have a right to know who they are and to be raised by the people who brought them into the world, if at all possible.

Of all these rights listed, this is the only right that is a just claim as the other rights listed would actually undermine the right to have parents teach and raise the child the way they see fit for moral upbringing and safety.

Children learn from their atmosphere. Until their problem solving and analytical parts of the brain are fully developed in early adulthood, they have no other choice than to be atmospheric creatures and learners.

Since this is the case, we must make a special effort to make sure we know what messages are being taught in the atmosphere the child is in. The atmosphere includes school, with friends, online, and in books, music and other media.

We need to be there, looking deeply into the atmosphere and teaching the children what is truth and what is fiction. This is the only way we help protect their identities from ideas that would confuse them about who they are and who they are supposed to be in the family and the world.  When they are secure in their identities they will be happy and contribute to family and society, instead of developing entitlement issues.