That being said, I grew up with a mom who was uber-involved in our schooling. She was homeroom mom, PTA mom, party mom – she was everywhere. As a kid, I know it sometimes bothered me, but I understand now. She was doing her job. She was making sure that she knew what was going on in the situations I was placed in. And as much as it bothered me (especially as a teen) I’m so grateful to her for that now.

I’m simply following suit. That is the example I had for a mother and it is natural for me to fall into that role myself. I don’t mind being THAT mom – the one that’s always there, always calling the principal, and so on. I take it as my job. Some people may say I’m being overbearing, but I don’t agree. I’m being cautious.

And truth be told, I will be the same mom whether or not my children are in public or private school. I am glad that my mom instilled in me the confidence and wisdom to know that there is no greater responsibility than being my child’s advocate. Perhaps my take on that is a little more stringent than others and I will likely loosen up a little after I’ve gotten a few years of school age children under my belt. But for now, as I’m navigating these new waters I’m in, this is the mom I need to be.

Thanks for your comment.

My child is six years old. It is my job to be his advocate. It’s my duty to ensure that what he’s being fed at school matches with the morals, values and worldview that we share as a family. And, if what he hears doesn’t match with our viewpoint, then it’s my job to help him process the new information he’s received and filter it through the lens of his developing worldview

I stumbled on your blog.. sorry. Very interesting debate going on. I am a very conservative Republican. I have a Sophomore in H.S. and a 2nd grader. So, I have 10 school years experience on what kids hear in school and are subjected to. These two go to a public school.
You have your hands full if you want to accomplish paragraph number 2 above in a public school system. I would suggest home schooling or a Catholic school. (We sent my step daughter to a Catholic H. School and was very pleased with her education). I don’t like the state of our world any better than anyone else but it is so DIVERSE in every aspect that there isn’t anything you can actively do about it if you want your child to learn how to socially interact in an intelligent way in any kind of environment. Yes, you can keep them home from school when things like this happen. I did not vote for Obama. I don’t necessarily like Obama. He is the President of the United States. I had no qualms that the President of the United States was going to say anything detrimental to my child (our schools didn’t show it, by the way). I teach my children to respect the President of the United States. My children are to respect their elders, their teachers included. They may not agree with them, but you respect them and their positions that they hold – like them or hate them. I have taught my children (well, the 7 yr. old not quite yet) to hear another’s opinion and know that is just that – an opinion. My 15 yr. old has friends who are very socially AWKWARD, BACKWARD, HAVE TROUBLE MAKING FRIENDS, CAN’T VOICE THEIR OPINIONS, DON’T DO WELL AT ALL IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS because their parents have sheltered them from situations just like this. It is my job as a parent to discuss with them my thoughts on the subject(s) – their thoughts on the subject(s) and why I think the way I do. I wasn’t concerned at all that the President was going to state anything other than what he stated in this particular address. I guess I am naive. I doubt my 7 yr. old even knows this address occurred. I didn’t tell him – he IS SEVEN. If they would’ve shown it, I would’ve talked to him about it when he got home. My 7 year old is too worried about who is gonna play catch with him when he gets home from school. I am rambling now, but MY POINT IS there is no way you will ever know what your teacher is relaying to your child verbally, or non-verbally and yes, I think you will be a parent that is in the office or on the phone quite a bit with the school if you want to try and control what your child hears at school and/or how he perceives it. Ya just gotta deal with that stuff in your own home and keep the lines of communication going between you and your child. Parenting starts and ends at home. When they are out of your care is the “in between” time you hope they have listened to you. But, I am speaking from experience with my 15 year old. Just wait, they don’t grow up with your ideals the way you thought they would when they were 6. They have their own opinions and I cherish that. Don’t you want them to think for themselves whether you agree with it or not? I take my kids to church every Sunday and guess what? When they are 18 or 21 or 35 they could God forbid turn athiest. And it will all be out of my control. I get you are trying to protect your child. Good for you. I just wanted you to hear from someone who has been there done that and it is an uphill battle trying to raise kids the way we (or I at least) was raised.. with good moral values, etc. etc… it is so hard nowadays.

As far as blogging, I tend to stick with conservative bloggers because I relate to them. That’s not overly helpful, I know. Sorry about that.

I agree with you when you say it wouldn’t have been made accessible beforehand had people not voiced their concerns. In that regard, it is good to see the voice of the people is still heard – and responded to at that.

May I ask where you get your news order to stay on top of the issues. It would be helpful to have a trustworthy site for this sort of information.

I also really enjoyed your entry on vaccines. Great job, Kelly! Say hello to Lee for me.

The sad fact of the matter is that I don’t trust our President or his administration and I think the flack he took for this address is indicative of that distrust. That is a sad thing. And I’m glad people raised an uproar, because if we hadn’t, I’m pretty sure his speech wouldn’t have been made available the day before. Our diligence in protecting our children ensured that we knew exactly what would be said to them.

That’s our job as parents – to hold our elected leaders responsible and to ensure that our children’s minds and hearts are being protected. Lee and I do plan to show Sloan the speech as I agree with you – it’s motivating. But, my position stands that no elected official has the right usurp my authority in my child’s life – ESPECIALLY when he is so young and fragile. I would much rather watch that message at home with Sloan than him see it without me.

Now – I would feel differently if he were older – as in a teenager. I would not object to him seeing it at school if he were in high school – again, as long as I had the option of viewing the speech first and the assurance that the teachers would remain neutral in their discussions.

I really appreciate your comments, Tammy. Thanks so much for sharing.

Our son just started Kindergarten at the local elementary school. My husband grew up in the public school system, and I agreed to give it a go. I, like you, feel it is very important to stay connected and know what’s going on in our children’s schools.

At first, I was relieved to hear that our district had opted out of showing the President’s address. Lately, however, I have mixed feelings on the issue.

Yes, I agree it is a dangerous precedence to set to allow the President into the classroom directly whenever he wants. But, thankfully in this situation, he was being held accountable. The address was made public before-hand, so there would be no surprises. We were even given the opportunity to opt out if we wanted to.

This is what I realized the past few days: While dwelling on all that could go wrong, I forgot to see the positives this could bring about as well.

My first positive thought: How exciting for the children (who learn about their president and recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school every day) to have that same President desire to speak directly to them. So many other accomplished people in this world make no time for children. What a great way for the President to show these young children that he’s not too busy to care about them personally. He made it very clear that the young people in this country are important to Him – and to this country. Our school principals are allowed to address the children on the first day of classes, why shouldn’t he be? When else do our children get the opportunity to hear their President talking to them on their level in words they can understand. How thoughtful.

Second, I have no clue what Stephen’s teachers are teaching him from day to day. Public school teachers have a wide variety of differing beliefs. Yes, they are not supposed to share those beliefs with their students, but our ideas have a way of touching every thing we do. They can even come across in ways we are totally unaware of sometimes. Like you, I can not possibly be in the class room with my son every minute of the day to hear what of those beliefs they are “sharing” with my child. That’s a risk we take in sending our child to public school. We send them off with a prayer, we teach them to discern between right and wrong, we try to keep our eyes and ears open, but the fact remains: We’re limited in how we can protect our child. And, obviously they don’t tell us everything, so how are we possibly to know it all. At least the President’s address was published the day before and we were completely in the know – and even given the option to opt-out if needed. Our teachers are not held to that same level of accountability. THIS scares me more.

All my political, personal, and spiritual differences with the President aside, I think Katie made a great point. What the President was trying to do here is a GREAT thing. He’s speaking love and encouragement into the lives of our young people. Who of us doesn’t respond positively when someone we admire comes alongside us and says, “You can do it! I believe in you!” For some, all it takes is ONE person to stand up and say that to them and suddenly they start to believe it for themselves – suddenly they can move forward. Now, what’s the harm in that? In my eyes, when a leader takes the time to empower children to greatness…that is true leadership.

And I just read the entire speech. AWESOME! I could say those things to my child, and he would listen. But, when the PRESIDENT OF THE USA gets up and says those things TO HIM, you better believe he takes notice. It’s like this: A girl’s daddy can tell her every day that she’s pretty. But, when the guy she’s interested in at school tells her the same thing (or one of the popular girls she looks up to) – THEN it takes on a whole new meaning. THEN SHE’S OVER THE MOON and will believe it for the rest of her life. That’s the power the president has – and thankfully he chose to use it for our children’s good this time around.

There was not one thing in that speech that would harm my child. That doesn’t mean there won’t be in the next one, but I’m saddened to think of all the kids who may have missed out on the power of that speech TO THEM because their district didn’t show it or their parents were too busy to record it and show it to them once they got home.

His speech was very caring: “I understand this is your first day and you might be nervous…” Very personable: “This was my experience as a student. I know what you are going through.” Very motivational and honest – getting kids to take ownership of their own futures.”Every single one of you has something you are good at. Every single one of you has something to offer.”

Believe it or not, there are children out there who have never heard anyone say that to them. To hear the President say it to them….well, it might as well be their favorite rock star. That’s how powerful his words are. That’s just the way it is.

I understand the concern in sharing details from his past. But, honestly, this speech would have fallen on deaf ears had he left it out. His story is what makes others believe they too can amount to something. He’s not just some rich guy who had life handed to him on a silver platter. He persevered. He worked hard. It wasn’t all a bed of roses. He shared his personal history without too many details – just enough so kids would know that have someone who understands them – someone they can look up to.

Now, with that said..IF he were to start broadcasting his speeches without any sort of accountability or pre-filtering…THEN we start to worry. You are right to keep your eyes open, Kelly. You are right to be concerned. Thankfully this time around, we weren’t kept in the dark – and thankfully, at the end of this round our kids are actually better off because of it.