“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not
have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
– President Thomas Jefferson. 1743-1826

“There are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the
people by the gradual and silent encroachment of those in power,
than by violent and sudden usurpation.”
– President James Madison. 1751-1836

Dear Busy Bees Parents:

July is a month we celebrate America’s independence and freedom, but the reality is that we should celebrate it every day. Our nation is extremely blessed by God, and we have historically enjoyed freedoms which people in other countries only dream of.

As I write this to you, I have to tell you I am concerned about the future of freedom in our nation. I think we have more and more of our fellow citizens valuing security over freedom, and are willing to submit themselves to dependence on the government rather than on the opportunities in a free society. As this submission and dependence on government grows, I am afraid that our government is slowly taking away our freedoms.

Along with this trend toward dependence on the government comes a declining reliance upon God to help people. The government becomes their real god, the one they count on to provide for them, and the God of the Bible is pushed aside.

This worries me for America. I have heard that it is the fourth largest unreached nation in the world for the Gospel. That means we have the fourth highest non-Christian population in the world. We have truly lost our way as a nation, and I hope you will join me in praying for revival in America. I believe a product of greater faith in God and less reliance on government is a free society where people are willing to work hard and take risks. That’s who we are as Americans, and I hope God allows us to go back to those roots.

Incidentally, this is one reason Busy Bees exists. We believe in faith, family, and country, and we hope our Busy Bees students become strong in their faith, dedicated to their families, and defenders of their country.

In the McClymonds household we try to impart these values to our children, and the following letter I wrote to our kids may be helpful to you as you attempt to explain American freedom to your kids:

“Dear Andrew and Emmy:

I wanted to write to you about the country we live in…America. You are too young right now to appreciate what a great place it is, but I would like to spend just a few minutes telling you why it is so special, and why you should do your best to keep it that way.

America is great because of one very important word…freedom. That means we don’t have to ask anyone for permission to do the things we love to do. Think about all the wonderful things we get to do each and every day. Today we went to the park after dinner, Daddy went to work during the day, and you and Mommy worked and played at home. No one made us do any of those things, and we didn’t have to ask anyone if we could do them. Being free lets us take vacations to the wonderful Colorado mountains, play Little League baseball, eat ice cream any time we want, and go see the Buckeyes play.

Being free also lets Mommy and Daddy choose to educate you at home so you receive the type of education and training we believe will be most helpful to you. When you are older you will be free to go to the university of your choice if you want to attend college. You will also be free to choose a profession, open a business, or use your God given gifts in any other way to earn money and pay for your family.

Our freedom has let Mommy and Daddy work in different jobs, live in three states, and open several businesses. Yes, it has taken a lot of hard work, but nobody made us do it, or tried to keep us from doing any of it. We made the choices by ourselves because we are free.

Most of all, we love America because we are free to worship Jesus. America has what is called religious freedom. That means we can go to church wherever we want, study the Bible, listen to Christian music, and tell our friends about Jesus.

I’m sad to tell you that not everyone in the world lives in a place where they are free. Many boys and girls just like you live in countries where they have to get permission to do the things we do. Most of all, many boys and girls live in countries where they are not allowed to go to church or worship Jesus like we do. That is very horrible, and we should pray that God will make those people free some day.

I hope you two will always be glad you are Americans, and that you will look upon your freedom as a treasure to be protected with your lives. Many people have fought hard to make sure you are free, and I hope you will fight and work hard to protect your freedom and use it to become people who love Jesus and use the gifts He has given you to the best of your ability.

Love,

Daddy”

Thank you so much for being a Busy Bees customer. I hope you are having a great summer in our wonderful free country.

Sincerely,

Scott McClymonds