LETTER: Raising Children In Trump's America

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One of the greatest responsibilities in our society is being a parent. A mother and father are not only responsible for feeding and protecting their children, but also teaching them values and morals to help them grow into productive and responsible members of society. As a parent, there is nothing more rewarding than witnessing your kids exemplify the values and morals you instill in them, such as respecting others and standing up to bullies. Consequently, parents find themselves in a unique position of teaching their kids values and behavior that is rarely demonstrated by our current President. This isn't a reflection of my political views, but recognition of a practical conundrum in which the values we learned from our parents is in contrast to the values and behavior of Mr. Trump.

I consider myself fortunate to be raised by parents who instilled in me a strong set of values that I have relied on to become a good person, employee, friend, leader, husband and father. I was also fortunate to grow up with friends who learned the same set of values that I was taught by my parents. It's no accident that we have remained friends for over 30 years. I teach my kids to behave properly based on these core values shared to us by our parents - treat others with respect; treat your elders, teachers and coaches with respect; stand up for the weak instead of bullying them; tell the truth; accountability and responsibility on the field, court, school and work. And yet our President does not consistently demonstrate any of these values.

An important question that we have to consider is whether being an effective President requires a person with good values and a high moral compass. Richard Nixon was a proven liar, cheat, and racist with little respect for our country's laws. Regardless of his values or lack thereof, he was a successful President with a long list of achievements, many of which help us today - strategic arms limitations with the Russians; the War on Cancer through the establishment of the National Cancer Institute; improved relations with China; establishment of the EPA; innovative programs to prevent drug abuse; and even cracking down on racial discrimination and dejure segregation in the South.

Of course, media coverage was limited during Nixon's era and he could hide his disgusting behavior - at least until the tapes came out. A modern day President is in the public eye nearly every minute of every day and they have limited time to "let their hair down" and act normally. It's one of the toughest challenges that a modern day leader must deal with. Trump's behavior and values were in full display during the 2016 campaign. He literally did everything that my parents and teachers taught me not to do - insult a Veteran and POW like John McCain; act rudely to women; use profanity in public; bully opponents on Twitter and at rallies; and lie about nearly every important issue and fact deemed pertinent to the election. Given his successful election as President in 2016, it's clear that a near majority of Americans believe that a good President does not need to demonstrate good values and a moral compass. And Nixon's example demonstrates that an immoral person with poor behavior can even be successful as President.

I'll let the reader decide if Trump is doing a good job as our President. There have been more than enough letters and columns on that subject. However, society used to respect people who showed respect for others, helped those in need, stood up to bullies, could win without cheating, and always told the truth. It also respected the democratic principle that each of us has a voice in our local, State, and Federal government. Could there be a paradigm shift because of the behavior of one person in a position of power? Or has it already occurred based on the results of the 2016 election? While those election results seem to indicate a shift in values, I hope parents continue to teach our children the great values our parents instilled in us.

Thanks,

Matt, of Harleysville

Image via Gage Skidmore