Don't impose the adult world on children

First Published in the Longview News-Journal

It appears we share something with our Canadian neighbors beyond a common border. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to push “drag queen” shows into the elementary schools in his country. Other news items attest to the same situation in our country.

A commonly quoted verse from the Bible: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

All the years leading to graduation were devoted to learning how to survive in the World

Whether you are an avid church attendee, or not, we know this verse speaks the truth. That causes those of a certain age to be very uneasy. Perhaps, the “woke” crowd isn’t as enlightened as they should be.

As a member of an ancient generation soon to be extinct in the World, we had our off-limits shows called burlesque. In their days, they were considered “adult entertainment.” A group of beautiful ladies would perform on stage naked, or nearly so. Some danced provocatively behind huge see-through balloons.

These shows were considered strictly “adult entertainment.” They were “off-limits” to those younger than high school age. The unspoken rationale behind this thinking was “a person is not mature enough to view this type of ‘entertainment’ until they had more life experiences under their belts.”

All the years leading to graduation were devoted to learning how to survive in the World. We were taught American and world history to gain an understanding of the world. Most of us took on a strong love for our country.

Parents and teachers taught us there was right and wrong

We learned there were many other cultures, each with its own strong and weak points, much like our own. Parents and teachers taught us there was right and wrong. The lesson: Make the incorrect choice and serious consequences awaited.

Parents didn’t take teachers to court and sue them for the discipline they metered out. Mom and Dad stood shoulder to shoulder with the school teachers, and there were usually more large consequences to pay when you got home.

We were treated as children and played together. Beyond the fun and release of an atomic bomb’s worth of energy, we learned how to interact with each other, pick out friends and not-so-much friends. We learned who we could trust and who we could not.

About junior high age, it started to slip into our learning that many off-limit “adult” activities were in the world. It was time for a learning expedition that was jealously guarded from our parents’ and teachers’ knowledge.

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The practices of the adult world were not imposed on us until our intellect was allowed to develop

High school rolls around. That “off-limit” world has become a place of greater curiosity. A clandestine magazine is passed around the boy’s locker room when the coach is not there. Sometimes the magazine, filled with pictures of beautiful scantily clad women, went home with one of us, returned a few days later, was passed on to a friend and the circle continued until someone got caught or the magazine wore out.

We have reached dating age and our hormones are raging. Much experimentation occurs in automobiles parked on a deserted road Sunday night.

During the annual national FFA conference held each year in Kansas City, it is rumored that some FFA members were known to slip away to one of the many burlesque shows close by the convention center.

The standing joke of the day was, “Don’t go to the burlesque show as you might see something you shouldn’t — your vo-ag instructor!”

The following year, many of us were off to the military.

We have been allowed to grow up and mature in a proper adolescent manner.

The practices of the adult world were not imposed on us until our intellect was allowed to develop. At that point, we were mentally equipped to handle it.

“Girlie shows” are reserved for adults. It should be that way today if we desire to build a strong society.

Just an old farm boy’s opinion.

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