I know I speak for many, many other mothers out there this morning and I know they would say the same thing I am about to say.
The United States has just elected Barack Obama to a second term as President. News reports tell us that the narrow victory may have hinged on the women’s vote. It appears that the “lady parts” rhetoric about how women’s rights depend on contraception and abortion resonated with enough American women that it affected the election.
They didn’t want to “do it with just anybody.” No, it had to be with a “really great guy.” The one who will give them free contraception and abortion.
But America, I promise you that not all of us mothers raise our daughters to think this way. I promise you that there are plenty of us mothers and fathers out here teaching our daughters, and our sons, that real freedom comes from something beyond themselves, something greater than themselves.
We are teaching them that the reason they need to learn is because they possess an intellect, and they will never be satisfied if they stop working hard and striving for excellence.
We are teaching them that they possess a free will and that they are responsible for their actions, that doing the right thing is sometimes painful.
We are teaching them that they need a moral code, and when we teach them right from wrong, we are using words like “virtue” and “vice” and “sin” and “repentance.”
We are loving them and sacrificing for them, and we are standing firm on truth even when our children stray into the world and test out the very pathways we have warned them to avoid.
We are teaching them about the dignity they deserve. We are teaching them what marriage really is, and that it takes commitment and sacrifice. We are teaching them that families are the foundation of society, and trying to live our lives to show them how good women are supposed to behave.
We are teaching them to respect good men and to honor legitimate authority.
We are teaching them that liberty was bought for them at a price, a price paid in blood by many, many men — and that redemption was purchased for them at a price too, a price paid in blood by Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World who was crucified, who suffered and died, and who rose again.
We are in this parenting thing for the long run, eternally, and there are children growing up in this wonderful nation who know why it is wonderful and that life and liberty are sacred. They know that freedom comes with great responsibility. They know that they are loved unconditionally. They know they have parents who will always tell them the truth when they need to hear it, even when it’s hard.
Especially when it’s hard.
And they know that if they ever dared to behave in the pathetic way these “vote-like-your-lady-parts-depend-on-it” people are behaving, they will have to answer for it.
There is hope for the future because there are plenty of us out here shaking our heads in disgust, and vowing with even firmer resolve to never give up and never shut up, and no government and no amount of nonsense will ever stop us from raising our children to be responsible adults. I promise you that.
Stacy-
God bless you and the strong families you describe. I know them. I love them. I share in their sorrows and joys…in their birthday celebrations and at their funerals.
Some mothers home school five or more other families children and with excellent results.
This is the resurgence of Holy Spirit filled children of God and NO disfunctional society will trump it! You and like minded mothers are filling your lamps with oil. The lamps of your children and teaching neighbors how to fill their lamps also. This is who you are.
The bridegroom will come and you dear Stacy will have prepared well your tribe.
Onward into the night.
Good for you. I for one am tempted to renounce my citizenship in an effort to teach my son that life actually matters.
Stacy, you are inspiring to us all! I’m not a mother yet, but you and the mothers you describe – that’s the kind of mom I want to be.
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
Stacy, I had the same discussion with my 12-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter this morning. They had to watch me cry last night when Obama won a second term. I told them my tears were sadness for this country, for the pathetic reasons so many voted him in again. For the rights of the unborn that will, once again, be denied at a government level in lieu of a woman’s right to kill her own child. But I also told them that in times like these, God is urging us to be better people, to be examples of what we want to see in our country’s leadership. I also told them that we live in the greatest country on earth. And that now, more than ever, we need to pray for our country’s leadership…and for the United States.
Stacy – Don’t worry. We’re not going to blame you. I’ve read a lot of analysis suggesting that the gender gap is mostly a race gap – that is, more black women than black men vote, and so the higher percentage of blacks among women voters increases the percentage of Democratic votes among women. I don’t know if that holds true for this year, though.
Anyway, you’re girls, and you’re cuter than us, so we’ll always forgive you.
I am ashamed of my gender today.
[…] A Mother’s Promise to the Nation – Stacy Trasancos PhD, The American Catholic […]
Excellent post Stacy, my wife shares your frustration. As we watched the returns come in last night, I reiterated to my wife that this was a long time coming, 50+years of the far left’s indoctrination. We have free will and this is what can happen. However, prayer can change many things and we do have many great Catholic parents and many young priests and sisters, along with seminarians and novices who will show us a better example than they were given.
And that is where this is going, to remove women and men who have traditional values from being able to either have children or to be allowed to raise them. This is so clear.
I blame the Church’s lack of effective catechesis for where we are today. While we as parents do all we can at home to raise faith-filled children, Church leadership is not helping us in our effort. Pastors are too afraid to speak the truth – to call a sin a sin. When is the last time you’ve even heard a priest use that word in a homily?
I teach 7th grade “religious ed” (hate that phrase) and the lesson plans my parish gives me are a joke – all circuses, no bread. I end up spending hours each week trying to craft a meaningful lesson plan that actually teaches our faith, not some touchy-feely, no judgment nonsense. I fear for the future of our Church if our leaders refuse to see what’s happening in their parishes.
Stacy-
This past year I worked for Eric Scheidler and Stand Up for Religious Freedom grass movt.
His father Joseph is the founder of Pro Life Action League.
Just moments ago I received an E-mail from them. I would like to make it available for anyone who might be interested.
Thank you.
http://prolifeaction.org/election 2012
Joe and his family know disappointment. He has been at this for 39 years and 10 months.
I am so happy to see a true Catholic mother, who is teaching her children according to God’s will. Unfortunately, not all pastors are teaching their parishioners in the same way. A few weeks ago, I attended Mass at a parish where the pastor threatened (from the altar), to personally remove any pro life material distributed in the parking lot. When I said to him after Mass that abortion was not a political but a moral issue, he told me to go to Mass somewhere else.
http://prolifeaction.org/election2012
Thank you for writing “never shut up” ~ I don’t plan to as far as raising my children is concerned, but I thought I might forget about speaking up and pushing back with my computer keys. Maybe not. Maybe I won’t shut up.
That was beautiful! You have taken my thoughts and put them in an article with out even meeting me. Thank you!!!!!!
Karl speaks the truth: “And that is where this is going, to remove women and men who have traditional values from being able to either have children or to be allowed to raise them. This is so clear.”
Karl, i feel your pain. People did not believe me, even though it is all available (this administration did not lie re the “transparency” statement) but people are too uninformed and/or too lazy to do the research.
You would think that after 4 years of this (well 3 at the time) people would have learned you look at what they are NOT saying. There was nothing to be gained by the Contraception Mandate against the Church, nothing. But the majority of our ‘elite’ academics (mostly men) and almost all the Bishops and Cardinals (one of which i despise, and i truly believe he knew all along) fell for what was meant to be a diversion, and a wildly successful diversion it was. While they were all wringing their hands over the Mandate, they failed to see the ‘laws’ the IOM was implementing.
Chief among them that should be of great interest to ALL women, not just Catholic women, is that they have now codified that the “intergestational” or “interconception” period that is best for “maternal and child health” is 2 years from the last pregnancy to the start of a new one. There will “home vists” by “public healthcare workers” to ensure that women are adhering to this new law that is “for their health and that of the child they have” — which adds the subtle threat that you are putting your current child at risk (and THIS new state we live in I am sure will make the child removal process a lot more expeditious than it currently is).
And just to top it all off, there are new levels of inquiry’s that the “public health care workers” must make at their lil social visit to your home – “is there ANYONE in your life that is teaching you that it is not in your and your child’s best interest to contracept? (their preferred method is IUD at the 2-week checkup after delivery) If someone is telling you such rubbish (not to contracept) LIKE YOUR PRIEST, that is “interpersonal violence” and will not stand.
True Priests (God Bless you), buckle up, it is going to a hell of a drive.
(Oh, and may i add that all this “research” was paid for via the “stimulus” plan!?)
I am at a loss for words about the outcome. I like the great article you wrote. I cannot feel kindness right now in my heart. I have grown children and grandchildren and some old enough to make me a great grandmother…but it looks bleak out there to me at this time. We have to look to folks like you to see any hope and also spend a lot of time on our knees. This country has lost all respect for woman and womanhood…..When a pill or an abortion is the answer…I feel as tho I could weep, but I,as I started, am at a loss for words. Blessed Mother Mary keep us close to you…and ask you Son to help us rise in His Light.
I say God bless you women with faith and conviction.
You women who have given your life to your husbands and children, gone through childbirth, cooked and cleaned, dried the tears and bound our wounds all the while praying to God to guide and protect us have the natural gift of eternal love and survival for those around you. Men may be physically stronger but we tend to be short sighted looking only at what is affecting us at the moment and what to do about it. We are the first to mope about when things go wrong instead of accepting life as it comes to us knowing nothing good comes with out some pain or discomfort. It is in the nature God gave you to be the heart and soul of what we call humanity. Neither Man nor earth was complete until woman came upon the scene and made life fruitful and abundant. Don’t let anyone try to deny this truth.
And the woman God made especially for Himself, our Mother Mary Queen of heaven, also naturally with her heart of eternal love wants to gather all of Gods children under her maternal care and lead them through Christ to the Father. Like you women she has taken it as her duty and commitment as His bride to care for the children of God. Bless you!!
@Mia, I did not know that..*awesome*
Bill Sr. Thank you for your kind words.
[…] A Mother’s Promise to the NationI know I speak for many, many other mothers out there this morning and I know they would say the same thing I am about to say. The United States has just elected Barack Obama to a second term as President. News reports tell us that the narrow victory may have hinged on the women’s vote. It appears that the “lady parts” rhetoric about how women’s rights depend on contraception and abortion resonated with enough American women that it affected the election.…more […]