Within the last 50 years, the world we live in has progressed from a conservative, god fearing society into a controversial, social media driven monster. It goes without saying that our grandparents and even our parents generations grew up in a drastically different world than the one we are familiar with today. One of the most prominent differences between society 50 years ago and today is the way taboo subjects of the past have become mainstream ideas that our society reinforces as acceptable. For example, issues such as race, sex, divorce, and censorship have all taken on much different roles today than in the past. While most of the country has accepted the current direction of our nation, a select few have withheld their right to choose what parts of our modern society they want to participate in and which parts they would rather not be affiliated with. Along with the right to choose comes the ability to decide what is best for you and your children. A parent is allowed the chance to determine which aspects of society to enforce and which ones to keep hidden. But the question remains, does sheltering a child from the harsh realities of today place that child at a disadvantage?
In the eyes of a devout Christian, it is their duty as a child of got to protect their offspring from the temptations of evil, whatever that “evil” may be. To them the world is an ugly place filled with the works of evil and people who give into those works. They feel that the kids will be better off if they are only exposed to specific pieces of society and kept ignorant of all the temptations that delude a pure mind. In the paper “Gods Mandate to Holiness” by John Lindvall, the author addresses the issue of homeschooling under strict Christian values and the concept of Socialization by saying “When people ask this question (socialization), what are they wondering about? Are they worried that our children will not be capable of displaying lifelong servant hood for the glory of God? Generally not. They are shocked that we are not intimidated at the thought of our children being different from everyone else.” In their mind, the child was never intended to fit into societies predetermined mold, instead they were chosen for a “higher calling” serving and spreading the word of god.
As for the rest of the world, the dominant thinking is that controlling all aspects of a child’s life is detrimental to the development of that child’s social skills and ability to cope with hardships. Although compared to generations of the past, we do live in a place full of temptations that were simply not around years ago. Children are being exposed to more adult themes at younger ages and the argument could be made that it is robbing them of their innocence. While today’s society does force children to be more exposed to reality, it also conditions them to handle things within that reality. In particular, social skills are something that is learned individually by each child and each kid will learn these skills in a different way. The process of going from kindergarten through high school is one of the most impactful experiences a developing human can go through. Learning how to communicate and collaborate with others of the same age