Thursday, May 16, 2013

On my honor I will do my best

Long before I had a son, I vowed we would never participate in The Boy Scouts due to their open policies on anti-homosexuality and anti-atheist/agnostic beliefs.   I have said this before and I will say it again, "never say never".  

Tonight is sign ups for new cub scouts for the next school year.  Tonight we sign up our son.  Tonight we choose to put our own policies and beliefs aside so that our son can experience group activities with his peers, make new friends, become active in our community, and step outside of his comfort zone.  Tonight is the night we learn a new way to teach him to be respectful and tolerant of other's beliefs and lifestyles.  Tonight I may very well become the hypocrite I've fought hard not to be.  

I still do not support the policies or the belief system in place by the Scouts.   But, we do support the scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.  All of those things we've taught both of our children and we did it without lifestyle or religious influence.  Because you can be all of those things for one simple reason, it's the right thing to do.   

We also have to do the right thing by our son:  let him experience many different things in order for him to find his way in this life.  It is our job to guide him, not make him be something or someone we want him to be.  At the ripe old age of seven he is already accepting of marriage equality, he questions the many theories of religion, and he knows right from wrong.  I cannot let my own internal struggle with the Scout's policies and my beliefs deter him from getting out there and learning.  He may just be the Scout who convinces the Scouts to accept every boy and leader regardless of lifestyle and religion.  Because that's what I've taught him and no one can  undo that!

On my honor I will do my best to parent my son into the right direction; not my direction but, his.  

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