In a New York Times article, author Laurie Frankel wrote about a dilemma involving her 6-year-old son’s entrance into first grade. Apparently, the lad developed a preference for dresses over what little boys normally wear. As soon as I use the word “normally,” I recognize that a growing number of people insist that it’s a relative term meaning one thing to one person and something else to another.

Let me establish what I mean when I use the word “normal": Normal is what flows from God’s creative design. God designed boys differently from girls, and the difference is to be taught and reinforced to children by their parents.

"Normal" is what flows from God’s creative design.

Feelings over Authority?

What transpired in the Frankel home was sad and disturbing. This little boy’s parents left the decision to him: "You need new clothes for the new school year. What should we buy?" They reasoned that he "could go to school dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and feel wrong and awkward and not himself. Or he could wear what felt right and possibly face the wrath of his fellow elementary-school students."

They informed the teacher of the situation, who said she would be supportive of the child whatever decision he made. What is sad about this is that such a life-altering decision was completely left up to a confused six-year old. I could not help but wonder if they consistently allow him to make other important decisions that affect his well-being based on his feelings, like: when he goes to bed, what he eats, or whether he wants to brush his teeth? I assume they do not.

The lad opted to wear skirt, blouse, and barrettes in his hair on the first day of school. Mom and dad held their breath and sent him out into the world of public education. He did receive some harassment from students but held firm to his decision. Today the parents refer to him as “her” and call him daughter. While I am sure they acted out of love for their child and sincerely want what is best for him, their failure to guide, instruct, and to protect this little boy from his own inability to make sound, moral decisions is tragic.

Authority over Political Correctness

Yet this is the course our secular world is taking, and it runs contrary to God’s creative design for humanity and the truth he’s revealed in Scripture. As a parent, you’ve been given to your children to nurture, instruct, and protect. You have a divine mandate to train and discipline your kids and to lead them to faith in Christ. You must resist the pressure that would destroy or diminish your God-given authority in the home. We need to understand that a world without moral lines is a dangerous one. God’s commandments serve as moral guardrails to keep us from the harmful effects of our own sinful ways.

Don’t sacrifice your divine parental mandate on the altar of political correctness.

Being a biblical dad or mom requires you to be the authority in your children’s lives. Don’t sacrifice that power on the altar of political correctness. The moral revolution continues to rage, and our children need us more than ever to teach them how to be the boy or girl they are by creative design. No one will find true happiness in this world until they accept the person God made them to be.