When It Comes to Parenting, the “Magic” is Male and Female: Moms Matter

Mothers matter.  I could stop this commentary right there. It says it all.  Moms really do matter. As we head into this weekend’s annual recognition of Mother’s Day, please know mothers, you matter.
In an age when every attempt is made to deny the differences between men and women, to downplay maleness and femaleness, it’s important that we understand that women bring unique contributions to parenting. They bring contributions that no man, no matter how hard he tries, can bring to the rearing of a child.  They endear themselves to children in ways totally unlike a man—a dad—endears himself to his children.
Moms matter because in the natural order as God created it, women bear children. The child’s earliest bond is with his/her mother in utero.  Scientists tell us that preborn children hear, so we know that these little ones hear the sounds of their mom’s voice.  Studies have shown that a baby’s heart rate often slows in utero when they hear their mother talking, which tells us there is comfort in that sound.
Moms nurture, comfort, sympathize with, advise and discipline differently from men.  Children turn instinctively to mom when the tears come, when the bumps, bruises, cuts and scrapes come and later when the emotional traumas of the teen years are unleashed.  That’s because moms offer wide-open arms of love and soft kisses and quiet words such as, “There, there. It’s ok.  I’ll kiss it and make it all better.”
Moms cheerlead.  I told a group I was speaking to this past weekend that when my mom died eleven years ago, I lost my best cheerleader—the one person I knew who would always be in my corner with an encouraging word, a constructive criticism given in love. That’s just what moms do.
Moms help girls become women and boys become men. It’s moms who put bows in little girls’ hair, who match shoes to outfits, who help teens experiment with makeup, who teach their daughters how ladies sit, talk, and interact socially.  It’s moms that introduce boys to how women are, to intriguing qualities of women. It’s moms that boys grow up wanting to protect—because no one hurts a boy’s mother and gets by with it.  It’s moms that listen to little boys’ dreams and encourage them that they can do whatever it is they are trying to do.
Moms aren’t dads; dads aren’t moms.  That’s not how God designed it.  Dads have just as important of a role as moms, but it is a different role.  Both distinctive roles are critical to the upbringing of children. When we try to say that maleness and femaleness don’t matter, we are not only denying the obvious, we are also denying children of what is best for them and we are saying God’s design and plan is of no consequence.  We are saying we as humans know better than God about what children need.
For years the message our organization has taken around this state is that when it comes to parenting, the magic isn’t the number two, which is what homosexual activists want people to believe. The so-called “magic” is male and female.  And of course, the other part of the formula that is best for rearing children is that the one male and the one female are married to each other.
If government is really interested in the next generation of taxpayers, workers, teachers, scientists, artists, musicians, inventors, thinkers, and entrepreneurs, then it should be doing everything it can to make sure children really do have what is in their best interest.  And that means having a mom and a dad who are married to each other.  Government should be thinking “gold standard” not no standard when it comes to children.
I can’t imagine passing laws in our state or our nation that purposefully and legally deny a child a mother, but that’s what some think we should do.  Some lawmakers, even some who say they are conservative, think we should change the law to allow two men to adopt a child.  No matter how hard either of those men tries and no matter if one of them thinks he is a woman and even has an operation to try to look like a woman, he is not a woman and that means neither one can be a mom. It’s impossible.  More importantly, it’s definitely not in the best interest of the child.
ImageMoms really do matter, and government needs to get back to the basics and realize that moms matter.  They give to their children what only a woman, a mom can give to children; and we are all so much better for the influence of a mother.  All of us at Wisconsin Family Council thank all of you mothers. We know you matter and we wish you a blessed Mother’s Day.

WFA President Julaine Appling “FORWARD” in 2013

A personal video message from WFA President Julaine Appling that discusses the Religious Freedom Amendment,  Spring Elections, and more!

BREAKING UPDATE!! DOUBLE YOUR GIVING TODAY! WFA receives matching fund challenge!

UPDATE!!!
We are so very close to our MATCHING FUNDING GOAL!
We need only $1,800 to hit our $10,000 mark! Because of a generous donation from a WFA friend, every dollar you give will be matched up to $5,000. Won’t you consider a gift today? We would love to start the New Year with meeting our target by midnight on December 31! Every day we work for you and with you to strengthen, preserve and promote marriage, family, life and liberty in Wisconsin. Give securely and donate TODAY to double your investment! Be a part of Wisconsin’s future as you partner with WFA in 2014!
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Generous friends of WFA are offering a 1-for-1 match up to $5000! 

This means we are well on our way to hitting our target of raising $10,000 before midnight on December 31.  AND, I got word from another friend that he was giving $1,000 towards this effort.  So we need to raise only $4,000 more between now and midnight on Monday to make our goal!

Click here to instantly (and securely) double your investment in either Wisconsin Family Action or Wisconsin Family Council.

Act now! By investing in Wisconsin Family Action or Wisconsin Family Council you are investing in your family, your future, your freedom–your way of life.  Every day we work for you and with you to strengthen, preserve and promote marriage, family, life and liberty in Wisconsin.  With this generous year-end match opportunity, we are ensuring we are ready to go in the new year.  

If you have already given, thank you!  Investments of any size is greatly appreciated!  Please consider forwarding this email to 2 or 3 friends and encourage them to join you in doubling your investment in WFA or WFC.

We are very grateful for our friends who have made this match opportunity possible.  We want to be sure we do our part. With your help, we can do this!

Click here to double your investment today!

May God bless you and yours in this coming New Year.

A Christmas Message from WFA: Hope for the Future

From the Wisconsin State Capitol:

As we enter into this most holy season of Christian celebration, WFA president Julaine Appling reflects on the birth of the Savior and the hope for future generations.

Christmas Tree at the WI State Capitol – 2012

For those who are unable to travel to the Wisconsin State Capitol this Christmas season, this is a short video that captures the beauty of the donated tree donned with hand-made ornaments from schoolchildren across the state.  The meaning of this Christian celebration of the coming of Christ, God’s gift to mankind and the ultimate display of God’s love for His people, is paralleled in the timely display of love between a father and his son.

Christmas at the Capitol: WFA Displays Annual Nativity Scene

This Friday, November 30, will be the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol.  The event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. and will include children’s choirs from several area schools.

Wisconsin Family Action will, for the second year in a row, place a Nativity scene and Christian message in the rotunda prior to the tree-lighting ceremony.  While WFA has lent a Christmas message in the State Capitol for the past 17 years, this is the second year that the newly-purchased Nativity scene will be on display.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.Image

AFA Publishes Annual Christmas “NAUGHTY OR NICE” List

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How do they recognize Christmas?  The annual list of the nation’s top retailers published by the American Family Association has been unveiled.

AMAZON – BATH & BODY WORKS – BEST BUY 

FAMILY DOLLAR – BARNES AND NOBLE

MAURICE’S – L.L. BEAN – WHOLE FOODS 

OLD NAVY – TARGET – TOYS R US

AND MORE

Who’s naughty?

Who’s nice?

Find out HERE.

Father’s Day: Reflection on the Role, Responsibility and Reward of Fatherhood

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Shared wisdom, a life to be emulated, a faith shared – fatherly love.  

The responsibilities that lie with fatherhood stretch far beyond comprehension. He is more than the income-bearer, the maintenance man, the gardener, the hunter, or the family accountant.

 
Step out of the box and walk with us as we reveal the inner workings of a father’s heart….

 
Upon the shoulders of a father rests the lifelong consequences of that which he imparts to his children. If a father teaches his children to love, they will know the inexpressible joy of selflessness, emanating the reflection of Christ to others. If a father teaches his children forgiveness, they will learn to extend grace. If a father teaches his children to laugh, they will radiate joy to those around them.. If a father teaches his children to work hard, they will understand the reward of toil. If a father teaches his children to tell the truth, they will be known for their integrity. If a father teaches his children to be patient, they will understand that waiting is beneficial and that timing is not theirs.

 
If a father teaches his child faith, if he walks in the Truth, if he lives in the Word and leads in the Spirit of Christ, his children will be fed for a lifetime.

 
“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galations 5:22

 
As a father lives, so shall his children live. A father holds ultimate accountability with the Lord God Himself for the children given to him, and for the unity of his family through Christ during the season of child-rearing and beyond. The love, honor and sacrifice exemplified to his wife sets a precedent for his children’s future relationships.

 
It has been said that the father is the “umbrella of protection” of his family. His arms wrap them in the love of the Father himself, keep them from harm and hold them close to his heart.

 
His life is not to be looked upon as a mortal accomplishment, but a spiritual responsibility to display the attributes of the Father Himself. He is the steadfast anchor of God’s precious people.

 
The staff at Wisconsin Family Action are humbled to honor fathers this weekend, knowing they are the bedrock of the family, that faithful commitment to marriage is the key to healthy relationships, and that their loving example of Christ’s love is a high calling.

Prayer–Where America Turns in Crisis

From this week’s “Wisconsin Family Connection,” a radio commentary airing on stations all across the state~

So, what is with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the presiding official at the 10th commemoration of 9/11?  What doesn’t he understand about America?   Why ban clergy and prayers from this service at Ground Zero?  What lies has he believed? 

Some Bloomberg defenders ask how we would decide who would pray. How could we possibly choose one clergyman to represent most Americans? And after all, they say, a 6-minute time of personal meditation will be offered—whatever that means. 

Mayor Bloomberg has shown an utter disrespect for one of the greatest traditions in this country—turning to God in times of grief and tragedy—and in the times we remember and commemorate those national tragedies.   He has shown a disrespect for our clergy in general. 

While we have incredible diversity and no state-mandated religion, we identify strongly with a general Christian religion—over 78% of Americans self-identify as some type of Christian, the majority, over 50%, as some type of protestant.  Finding members of the clergy to represent Americans and to offer prayers at the 9/11 service next Sunday wouldn’t be difficult.

Read the entire transcript
Listen to the mp3 version 

Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land

This week’s radio commentary:

“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.”  You may recognize that phrase—it comes from Leviticus 25:10 and refers to the year of Jubilee for the Hebrews. The phrase is also inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, in Independence Hall—where 56 delegates signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776—or thereabouts.

God is the author of liberty; freedom is His idea, not man’s. Consider this language from the Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The framers of our country understood that God is the One Who bestows liberty—unalienable rights they called them. Government does not bestow liberty! Listen to the next sentence from the Declaration.

“That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Yes, you heard that right. Governments are instituted to protect those rights, not to bestow or withdraw them. We’ve heard a great deal of rhetoric about rights and liberties over the past six months in Wisconsin. But what we find is that when government creates certain supposed rights—such as the “right” to health care or collective bargaining for instance–guess what happens? If government grants the so-called “right,” government can take that “right” away.

But life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness—those rights are unalienable and government does not have the jurisdiction to take them away because government did not create those rights. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, anyway.

Freedom and liberty are as important now as they were 235 years ago when the signers of the Declaration pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors for liberty. And many of them never fully realized the liberty for which they sacrificed their lives, sacred honor and fortunes.  But they did know they were sacrificing for future generations so that their children and grandchildren could enjoy freedom. Now, over two hundred years later, Americans are still known for our independent streak. We like our freedom.

And yet in spite of our love affair with liberty, we’ve allowed government to incrementally siphon away our freedoms, making us—and our children—more and more dependent on government. In fact, many of our families are more dependent on government than we may even realize. Government provides free education, it provides food and necessities for our children, and it provides day care and health care.

Why should we be worried about that? Because families are the bedrock of our country, of our state! When families are strong, our state is strong economically and socially. Families are Wisconsin’s best natural resource and we need to be strengthening the independence and integrity of the family unit, not keeping that unit dependent on government hand-outs.  That’s not freedom.

That is why we have to hold our elected officials accountable, and why we must be actively engaged in the happenings of our government. Politicians are happy to expand entitlement programs that increase dependence on government because it creates voters who want to keep them in power. But families, and children, are the ones harmed by the vicious cycle of poverty that government dependency creates.

The 2011-2013 budget Gov. Walker signed on Sunday is a good start for reducing families’ dependence on government. The budget defunds Planned Parenthood—an agency that thrives on making people dependent on government. The budget also does not include staggering government spending and the irresponsible borrowing that saddles the next generation with enslaving debt. That’s significant!

When our Founding Fathers envisioned freedom for us—they were not envisioning lifestyles funded by the state or federal government. Quite the contrary. The Declaration of Independence is about self-government and, naturally, independence. They were “proclaiming liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.”  Now, it’s our turn. Let’s celebrate this Independence Day with a renewed commitment to strengthening the independence and integrity of the family.

This is Julaine Appling for Wisconsin Family Council reminding you the Prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”