“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.”  C.S. Lewis

I lecture (nag) my kids all the time. I’m not so much the “clean your room, pick up your shoes” nagger. My lectures tend to be less practical. I’m a cliché nagger. You know, “don’t judge a book by its cover”, “treat others the way you want to be treated”, “turn the other cheek”, “the truth will set you free”, *“don’t waste food because it’s disrespectful to hungry kids” etc.

I say that kind of stuff all the time, with zeal and fervor. Lately, my zeal and fervor has a touch of bitterness. It feels as if every thematic lesson we talk about in our home is turned inside out then served up as a nasty after dinner snack every single solitary evening; when we watch or hear scoundrels lie, bully, betray and then lie some more. The fact that the scoundrels hold positions of authority over us is an extra kick in the gut. I imagine that children think that we think they are stupid or they label us as hypocrites.

It must sound as though I’ve begun to doubt the values that Tim and I are teaching our kids. Not even close. I am, however discouraged by the fact that what I once thought were universal values, are not at all when the chips are down. At this point, we are attached to the high road by a singular superficial thread. We watch the most egregious lapses in honor and common decency, and the response? Carefully worded, ambiguous rebukes. This is not the time to keep calm and carry on. We need a hero. Someone to speak the truth and forge ahead with real, honest to goodness solutions, because the sky is falling.

*This one isn’t a true cliché…yet.
Image from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”

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