Main Page Blog Getting Pregnant Articles Pregnancy Articles Parenting Articles TLOL Article Directory Chinese Gender Chart Pregnancy and Parenting Journals	Thanksgiving by Barb Stiles I love this time of year - the trees are gorgeous colors, the air crisp. Of course, for some it is the foreboding of nasty weather ahead, but I wait until January to gritch about that. The reds and golds of the trees remind me that the holidays are just around the corner, and I do love them. It seems that Thanksgiving gets crowded out of celebration, since merchandising goes from Halloween to Christmas. But, Thanksgiving or should be one of our most treasured national holidays. When our pilgrim ancestors harvested their first crops, they paused to thank God for the bounty, even though many of their fellow travelers did not survive the previous winter. Their determination to establish a free, but moral country was far more focused that our own efforts to keep it that way. And the authors of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution followed their lead, in relying on the Divine to bless the efforts of this new free country. A few weeks ago, a story aired on TV about a school district in the area. I don't know which one, but it caught my attention because the school board passed a rule that prohibited teachers from cursing or using foul language to, or in front of the students. I was shocked - is it necessary to spell out the reasons for not using abusive language to the kids in school? One teacher who was interviewed was upset because he felt his freedom of speech was being violated, and voiced concern that this might lead to other restrictions on his behavior wherever his students might see him. And that is wrong because?……. Switch to another news story. A judge in Alabama has been sued for displaying a hand-carved plaque of the Ten Commandments on the wall behind the bench. It seems that the ACLU and others feel it violates church/state separation. The judge contends it is a reminder that, as the laws of the land were written, the Ten Commandments were a guide to the moral and ethical behavior our forefathers adhered to. Besides, he had a blank wall there and wanted to fill up the space. The point of these two stories? They both hearken back to our beginnings. I would imagine the writers of our freedom papers would stroke out if they could see and hear the ludicrous interpretations we have made of their words. The aforementioned teacher feared his right to speak as he chooses was being endangered. What about the kids who were exposed to his mouth? Where are their rights? And picture this. Suppose this teacher had prayed instead of cursed? There would be no question about the stand of free speech then. He would have violated church/state separation. And the judge? It seems he does not have freedom of speech (or decorating) if it says anything about God. I suppose if it contained curses it would only be considered bad taste. The people who risked life and limb to come to this land, did so with specific freedoms in mind - but they did not envision a land of no values. They sought the right to speak freely about the government, and the right to worship as they chose with no state intervention. That's a far cry from the sickening state of affairs that prohibit any hint of values in public institutions. I remember one of the first times my kids said "But my teacher said……" indicating that their teacher was far smarter than I was (she probably was, it just hurt my ego a bit)!. What if the teacher is cussing at the kids? Are our kids going to come home using the same kind of language because "my teacher said….." because we can't restrict their right to free speech? I don't think that's what the authors of the Constitution envisioned. When we teach our kids the history of this great nation, I hope we don't leave out the part about God being involved in its establishment. From Plymouth, to Jamestown, even in St. Augustine, Florida, the moment of arrival was marked by prayer and the planting of a cross. When our freedom documents were written, they did not intend to do away with references to a Deity, only that one could worship Him in any way one chose. It did not set forth a state religion, but acknowledged the importance of religious values. When free speech was legislated, I doubt that the authors meant that it was okay to use foul language to students or in front of them. I doubt that it meant, in their minds, that one could say anything one pleased about anything, anywhere, any time to anyone - unless it was about religious values. Our kids are surrounded by so much valueless influence. It's hard for parents to overcome the effect of the outside world. In the past, our culture called for standards of behavior from its citizens. It did not insist on church attendance or even a belief in any religion. It did, however, hold everyone responsible to live a life of standards, to live up to something. Now we must be twice as diligent to make sure we instill these values in our kids, because there are few other places they will be exposed to them. While some of the standards of decades gone by were repressive, we now have few, if any, guidelines for our kids. There must be a road map for them to follow, and in the past, it has come from the religious mores of our people. In rushing to give our kids "breathing room," we have taken away from them the very ideals our ancestors brought to this land. I'm sure, that as the pilgrims gave thanks that first Thanksgiving, they were thanking God for bringing them, and their children, to this land, to be free to live a good, upright life. And, I'm sure that one of the questions that brought them to this wild and untamed country was "WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS?" Feel free to email Barb is you would like to give her some feedback on her work.