Putting Children First

A pro-family champion you need to know about:

Some 30 years ago when I was heavily involved in pro-family activism and lobby work, the line that I would often give to politicians, journalists and others was that just as we tend to run all government policies and proposals through the lens of things like environmental impact statements, we should do the same with families. We need to have family impact statements.

Thus, all government legislation and actions should be carefully considered in light of how they will impact the most important social institutions that exist: marriage and family. And that of course was before real marriage was undermined by fake marriage.

Back in the 90s when I was especially involved with all this, there were not all that many other pro-family champions in Australia. There certainly were some, and many more in America. But now, thankfully, many new faces and new organisations have arisen in both nations.

That has been great to see, and many names could be mentioned in this regard. One such tireless worker for families, marriage, and especially for children, is the American activist and writer Katy Faust. She and her pastor husband have four children and live in Seattle.

She founded the group “Them before Us” which has this as its vision: “Them Before Us strives to put children before adults in every conversation about marriage and family. We seek to prioritize the rights of children in the culture and courtroom, the personal and the public.”

Its goals are these:

1. Educate the public on a child-centric perspective of marriage and family.
2. Represent the rights of children on policy matters.
3. Translate core TBU messages into every language.

I had the privilege of working with her and helping her out a bit when she was in Melbourne some years ago. I even was able to give her a brief tour of the city. Pro-family and pro-fatherhood activist Warwick Marsh and his team had brought her down under to speak at various events.

Her appearance on the ABC’s Q&A on August 17, 2015 made a real impact, and it became one of the most watched videos at the time to defend marriage and family. I wrote about that debate here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2015/08/18/marriage-the-media-and-miracles/

And you can see that entire show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u0HYfBDHuU

Also, see this brief ABC interview she did while in Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ian4KtpOFIM

Katy is one of the newer advocates for family and for children, and her impact has been quite significant. Given that I am a book guy, perhaps the best way I can discuss her and her work is to look at the books she has penned so far. Three have appeared in the past four years, so let me speak to each one in turn.

Katy Faust and Stacy Manning, Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children’s Rights Movement. Post Hill Press, 2021.

In the introduction Faust speaks of how she grew up in the ultra-left American northwest, and she shares her own story: her parents divorced when she was just ten. Her father eventually remarried, but her mother decided to partner with another woman. That was the world she grew up in. Although she loved her parents, she knew this was not what was best for children.

She speaks about the basic right of children to be raised by their own biological parents. But of course with “homosexual marriage” and so many other alternative ‘family’ structures now in vogue, far too many children will never know this right to their own mother and father. They say this:

-The parent-child relationship existed before government. It’s as “pre” as it comes. Old as humanity itself, whether you’re on Team Adam and Eve or Team Homo Erectus.

-Nobody provides children with their biological parents. If a child exists, so do his or her mother and father.

-Everyone has the same quantity of mother and father (one each). We all get exactly two biological parents, no more and no less.

So while children’s legal rights to their parents may vary, the natural right children have to both their mother and father is indisputable.

They continue: “Our mission is to make Them Before Us more than just a catchy three-word name for an organization. We want Them to come before Us in the minds of all adults; we intend to right the wrong perspective and reorient the way adults view children. Them Before Us believes adults should make the necessary sacrifices so children don’t have to.”

But given that I had written a review of this important volume when it first appeared, let me urge you to go here to learn more about the volume and its significance: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/03/05/a-review-of-them-before-us-by-katy-faust-and-stacy-manning/

Stacy Manning and Katy Faust, Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City: Teaching Historical, Economic, and Biological Truth in a World of Lies. Post Hill Press, 2023.

Although this might be the shortest of the three books, it is the most practical in terms of offering parents REAL help in how they can raise great kids in a hyper-woke era. Our culture is at war with children, and they need all the help they can get. That is where committed and dedicated parents come in.

And with each chapter offering plenty of sage and practical advice on how parents can steer their children through the West’s woke haze, this book should be on everyone’s shelves. And it is not just mere theoretical advice, but truths based on the lived experience of the authors and others.

But still… Some parents might think the surrounding anti-family culture is just too strong and powerful, and our kids do not stand a chance against it. But we can make a difference. In the Conclusion the writers look at the life of Susanna Wesley, the mother of ten children, including John and Charles Wesley. They then share these inspiring and encouraging words:

If you’re parenting in America today, it’s easy to fall into a “I can’t make a difference” despair, believing all is lost unless you launch a successful podcast, get elected to office, or become a bestselling author. A demoralized opponent is the easiest to defeat so don’t hand the Woke a victory by succumbing to hopelessness. Besides, it’s just not true; quite the opposite is, in fact. Individuals have a powerful impact on the world, and you have a powerful impact on the children under your roof, kids who can have a powerful impact on their friends, their schoolmates, and eventually the nation.

 

You may not have legislative or institutional control, or be able to insist that the classics be taught in your child’s literature class; but fear not, Mom and Dad: you have control over a mighty entity that has the power to stop the Woke agenda at your front door. Your family. It may be the smallest of institutions, but it is the most crucial when it comes to replicating values. The potency of parental influence is the reason for the Wokists all-out campaign to supplant your role. The greatest nation-driving force isn’t political power; it’s parenting.

 

Susanna proved it. She was never elected to office, she held no degrees, and her influence was limited to her small town. But she was an informed, passionate Christian mother who replicated herself in her children who, in turn, helped shape the Western world. John cemented his place as the most sparkly jewel to adorn Susanna’s mothering crown as she watched him do the world-changing work she’d modeled for him. Had there been no Susanna Wesley, there would have been no John Wesley. Without John Wesley the Great Awakening may not have occurred. Had there been no Great Awakening, it’s possible there’d have been no American Revolution.

 

Susanna is evidence that if you train your children well, your sons and daughters can similarly help revive Western civilization. If it is true that history repeats itself, there’s no rule that states such repetitions be limited to atrocities.

Katy Faust, ed., Pro-Child Politics: Why Every Cultural, Economic, and National Issue Is a Matter of Justice for Children. Post Hill Press, 2024.

The latest volume continues this vital theme: we are obsessed with putting adult needs ahead of those of our children – and it is destroying them. As Katy says in the Introduction:

Kids come last.

 

In matters of culture and politics, the well-being of children never tops the list.

 

This lack of child prioritization was on full display during the COVID lockdowns. we knew early on that the virus wasn’t a threat to most children, and that kids were not major vectors of COVID-19 transmission. We nevertheless sacrificed children’s physical, mental, and emotional health in the name of “stopping the spread.” The results were as predictable as they were avoidable. Shutting down youth sports, removing basketball hoops from public parks, and filling skate parks with sand in the name of “social distancing” has contributed to skyrocketing rates of child obesity. Some kids, especially the poor and marginalized, may never recover their educational losses after yearslong school closures. Our youngest children, deprived of normal human interaction due to masking and distancing during critical stages of development, battle speech and language delays. Despite evidence that screen-addicted children were struggling to engage with the real world, we forced them into “online learning,” aka screen-required “education” for eight hours a day. The increased screen time during lockdowns has yet to drop. The already sky-high rates of depression and suicide climbed further. Rates of overdose, self-harm, substance use, and claims for depression and anxiety disorders rose precipitously amid state-enforced peer isolation.

 

How could we visit such devastation on our children? The ugly answer is because it served adults.

Here, with plenty of documentation and research, are the areas covered in this book:

Life – Dr. Abby Johnson (And Then There Were None, ProLove Ministries)
Masculinity – Ken Harrison (Waterstone/Promise Keepers)
Femininity – Peachy Keenan (Domestic Extremist)
Family – Katy Faust (Them Before Us)
Race – Delano Squires (The Heritage Foundation)
Gender Ideology – Chris Elston (Billboard Chris)
Porn – Jon Schweppe (American Principles Project)
The Economy- Christopher Bedford (The Blaze)
Taxes – Grover Norquist (Americans for Tax Reform)
Debt – Phil Kerpen (American Commitment)
Energy- The Honorable Neil Chatterjee
ESG/DEI – Justin Danhof (Strive)
Religious Liberty – Ashley McGuire (The Catholic Association)
Education – Tiffany Justice (Moms for Liberty)
Digital Technology – Maria Baer (The Colson Center for Christian Worldview)
Environment – Chris Barnard (American Conservation Coalition)
National Security- Dan Caldwell (Defense Priorities)
Policing – Ari Hoffman (The Post Millennial and Talk Radio 570 KVI)
Border Security/Immigration – Lora Ries (The Heritage Foundation)

I still hope to do a proper review of this book. But until then, this 10-minute video review by my friend Dr. Stephen Chavura is well-worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSxu-El39r8  

God bless you Katy – and Stacy. Keep standing up for our children. We need more pro-child champions like you.

[1804 words]