PARENTING | F*ck Authority

Raising your child to question authority is not the same thing as raising your child to disrespect authority. 

Parenting comes with many struggles but it also invites a plethora of opportunities. 

While each generation believed it had the power to change the world and make it a better place, no generation attempted to disrupt the order of things quite like the anarchists in the 80's. Because their philosophy was live hard and die young, many of these rebels never expected to ever have to grow up.

But guess what? We all do.

My husband was at the tail end of the movement that changed our society in ways we still haven't seen but in time, will all eventually experience. His passion for the music and lifestyle has not changed despite growing up, getting married and becoming a father. If anything, it inspired a foundation that together, we use to instill unconventional experiences for our daughter.

Some people would be surprised at the shows and concerts she has attended. From Bad Religion to The Vandals we have never withheld opportunities to encourage a love for music. Even controversial and occasionally "inappropriate" lyrics are not off limits in our home. Words like "fuck", "shit", and "god dammit" are used and always differentiate adult words from kids words. We ask that she doesn't use them and she obliges. Does she know what they mean? Probably not, but only because she hasn't asked. When she does, we will educate her in the same way other responsible parents discuss "Penis", "vagina" and "sex".

I often compare this to visual art. In addition to her dad's concerts, Lyric also grew up in an art gallery. Surrounded by replications of hisotrical pieces like the michangelos Vitruvian Man, she also encountered nude sketches, scuptures and photographs.

There is an obvious difference between erotica and art. So why not music and ignorance?

As long as she continues to show respect for all of the art and music she has been exposed to, we will continue to offer opportunities outside other parents comfort zones.

Have you ever done something other parents have questioned? How did your perception of your convictions change?