Should the UN Control Parents' Actions?

Big RED Flags, everyone!! This is very important to read if you are a parent or grandparent.

In 1989 many countries ratified the treaty of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. The US did not and has not, although we did sign on to two sections of this treaty dealing with the child soldiers and child prostitution/pornography. President Clinton signed this treaty in 1995 but it was not ratified by the Senate.

Sen. Boxer of CA wants to vote on ratification. "Children deserve basic human rights ... and the convention protects children's rights by setting some standards here so that the most vulnerable people of society will be protected," Boxer said.

Critics say: "To the extent that an outside body, a group of unaccountable so-called experts in Switzerland have a say over how children in America should be raised, educated and disciplined -- that is an erosion of American sovereignty," said Steven Groves, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Rep. Pete Hoesktra of MI is proposing a constitutional amendment protecting parents rights. http://www.parentsrights.us. He believes that there has been a continual erosion of the rights of parents for a long time and it is hurting families across this country. We don't need the UN to step in and tell us how to raise our kids.

I agree with him. Children are out of control because parents are afraid to discipline them for fear they will be accused of child abuse. In actuality, the fact that most parents are not disciplining for behavior that is destructive, disrepectful, or dangerous (the three D's referred to pediatrian Michael Papciak, MD in Alpharetta, GA.) can be discerned as a mild form of abuse because the child is allowed to do whatever they want with no consequences and are not being prepared for adult life. The vast majority of parents in this country will never abuse their child. And for the ones who do, there are US laws in place to protect the kids.

Why is the treaty ratification needed? Why should a group of UN officials come into your home and tell you how you can raise your child, how you can educate your child, etc? I agree that on the surface this treaty sounds great--protecting children is something we can all believe in. But the wording is vague and can be interpreted in many ways. We, as parents, need to be vigilant and stand up against anything that further erodes our authority in the home. For instance, who decides what is "in the best interests of the child"? As a parent, I want to make that decision until it is proven that I am not capable.

What can we do? As parents, we can find out more about this situation and contact our Congressional representatives to say that we want autonomy in our homes.