4.25 Courage - Standing Up to the Questions

Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the twenty-fifth day of each month is "Courage."
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A friend of mine posted a parenting dilemma on Facebook recently. Some genius allowed someone from the Boy Scouts to come and talk to her child's class and her son is interested (overnight at a museum! camping! badges!). She is uncomfortable with some of the organization's policies, not least among them the exclusionary practices among gay counselors and the Christian doctrine.

She wants to encourage his interests and allow him to be involved in the community. She wants him to learn some of the lessons that come with the Scouts - the useful outdoor skills, as well as the getting along with others and developing relationships with other boys.  She doesn't necessarily want to cram all of her complicated issues regarding religion, spirituality, and human rights down his throat.

But she also doesn't want to financially support an organization that actively works against some of the things she holds precious and dear.

I was impressed that she put this out on Facebook, where sometimes people are cruel. She put her own values out there in a way that I'm not sure I would have done. She's brave. Brave to have a child. Brave to know that there's no easy answer to these kinds of questions. Brave to seek feedback from people she knows will disagree with her. Brave for asking the hard questions.

Here's to you, my friend. Whatever decision you make will serve your son well.

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To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit.