right and wrong

I read something interesting the other day.... About adoption of course.

It seems that there aren't as many babies available for adoption these days..... BUT, there ARE older children available. Lots of them. Older children who've been neglected and abused.... older children who were "raised" for a while, then placed.

I have an opinion on this. (Of course I do).

And it may even offend some of you. (gasp).

I will be happy to discuss it with those of you who agree AND those who disagree. (Shocking in this age of social media).

I think we are starting to fail here.....

We don't mean to. In fact it's the opposite.

We are trying to be good. Accepting. Loving.

We are trying to not judge.

To mind our own business.

But.

In doing that.... we are failing. Ourselves and those around us.

We have embraced certain attitudes.... like....

"Who are we to judge?"

Or.

"As long as everyone is happy...."

Or.

"It's none of my business"

And while there may be a place for some of those thought processes..... We have taken it way too far (in my opinion).

Where EVERYTHING is ok and EVERYTHING is right. NOBODY is wrong. We are ALL free to do what we want to, say what we want to, think what we want to.....

Right?

I certainly don't want to force MY views on someone else....

We've gone so far that we actually LIVE as though there is no right or wrong.

That it's all just a matter of opinion.

My point is NOT that young girls are getting pregnant. I'm fairly certain that this has been happening pretty much since time began. My point is that we've accepted this as being fine. We've left these girls high and dry with their WIC and food stamps and whatever other aid they "need." (Until the assistance runs out when the child is five years old which adds to the issue). We've left them without guidance, emotional support, without any type of role model.

There was a time, that a young, single, pregnant girl would be scared and sad.... a time when a young pregnancy changed - everything.

She would make her decision. Whatever it was.

And.

She lived with it.

Forever.

Now?

I feel like we are nowhere NEAR where we used to be.

Having a baby, whenever, is really no big deal at all anymore.... go for it.... try to raise it.... if it doesn't work, place the child for adoption.... at least you tried....

In our quest for accepting everyone..... we are failing .....

We are failing these children that are overflowing our system....

We are failing our friends every time they seek advice and we don't want to hurt their feelings so we are not honest.

We are failing our children every time we don't correct them because we are too scared of some damage the correction may cause.

We are failing every time we accept something that we know in our heart of hearts is not acceptable.

Maybe this post is too close to the aftermath of the election..... As I write and delete and write and edit, I find myself almost too nervous to click "publish" because I'm afraid I'll offend somebody.

I heard an argument recently where a group of women were debating about this subject, minus the older child adoption portion.... One side argued that "SEE???? THIS IS THE VERY REASON we need a 'choice'."....... that is so - not - my point. (Those of you who know me, know this all too well).

My point is that there is a right and a wrong. There is a WAY the world is supposed to look.

I don't see that world anymore. I don't.

And.

It really scares me.

I don't think girls should be trying to raise kids that they shouldn't raise. MY CHILDREN are proof of that.

How is that fair to THEM?

I also don't think that the answer to this is abortion (There. I said it)

I DO think the answer is this..... That we need to start teaching right and wrong again..... We need to be teaching our children that everything is NOT OK. That their happiness isn't necessairly the priority..... That sometimes doing the right thing feels really crappy..... That doing the right thing CAN be painful. That doing the right thing doesn't always end happily..... That doing the right thing can result in losing friends.

But.

Doing the right thing DOES matter. And. Doing the right thing IS - right.

We need our moral compass back.

The compass still - does - not - judge. (There is only one of those).

The compass still - loves - always.

The compass is patient, kind, it does not envy, or boast, it is not proud, or rude, or self seeking...... it always hopes.

The compass perseveres.

It's time to pull back together...

It really is.

xo
K.