Abstinence-only programs have long been the subject of significant study and scrutiny, and WAIT Training has faced several direct challenges. In 2004, California representative Henry Waxman released a report that cited multiple medical inaccuracies in abstinence-only curricula. The report singled out WAIT for erroneously teaching that the HIV virus could be transferred through tears. But Mackenzie has denied that her group ever said that. Any language WAIT used about HIV transmission, she insisted, had been pulled directly from the Centers for Disease Control website.
"The CDC posted that information [tears and sweat a risk for HIV transfer] on their website and then they took it down," she said in a 2010 Colorado Independent interview. "They found HIV in tears; we never said it was transmitted that way," she said, then added, "You can't say there has never been a case or that there isn't a chance HIV can be transferred that way."
The Centers for Disease Control denied Mackenzie's claim that the CDC had posted inaccurate information.
Mackenzie and WAIT also came under fire for the group's support of Ugandan pastor Martin Ssempa, a flamboyant supporter of Uganda's draconian "Kill the Gays" bill that called for the death penalty in cases of "aggravated homosexuality." An abstinence-only evangelist, Ssempa courted media attention by burning condoms during public rallies and making repugnant claims about homosexuals, including one that gays eat feces. Mackenzie and WAIT booked speaking engagements in the United States for Ssempa, printed his business cards and helped him develop his website — although they did not use any federal funds to do so, Mackenzie says.
Mackenzie finally severed ties with the Ugandan pastor after reportedly receiving death threats over WAIT's ties to Ssempa.
******
By last October, any misgivings Commissioner Jones might have had about making an end run around the governor had evaporated. (Jones, who left Colorado last fall and now heads the Las Vegas schools, did not respond to requests for an interview.)
On October 23, he e-mailed Littleton and asked her to pass along thanks to Mackenzie for all she'd done to bring the Title V money to Colorado. "I wanted to send you a message that I received from Diana [Sirko, deputy commissioner of the Colorado Department of Education Office of Teaching and Learning] related to her conversation with Joneen," he wrote. "It will be helpful if you might encourage Joneen to continue working with Diana related to this grant. I have to make sure this grant is done correctly and protects the department. I want our team to work with Joneen as much as we can. We will have to follow state law.... I continue to appreciate all that Joneen has done to bring these funds into the state."
Despite Jones's appreciation for all that Mackenzie had done, CDE officials downplay her role in the process, which required that Colorado submit a proposal to the feds highlighting the state's need for funding and outlining its implementation plan. "We received input from several different sources regarding the state plan, and WAIT Training was just one of them," says Melissa Colsman, director of the CDE Office of Teaching and Learning, who was in charge of overseeing the development of Colorado's plan and submitting it to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Data provided by WAIT about teen pregnancy rates and STDs was incorporated into the final Title V implementation plan submitted to Washington.
In another e-mail to Jones, Littleton conveyed her desire for an "exploration of the bidding process so that the Center for Relationship Education [formerly WAIT Training] can be prepared for the process.... It is the desire of the Center for Relationship Education to train educators in the State Health Education Standard as well as getting them trained and certified in curricula that meets state standards and regulatory guidelines. Once they have the resources and the professional development in the curricula they choose, they will be ready to implement these educational strategies into the classroom."
Once the Title V funding was secured, the CDE issued an open Request for Proposal for the money, with applications due in January 2011.
Colsman confirms that CRE/WAIT was the only organization to benefit from the Title V grants that had also helped the state with its plan to get that funding.
The independent grant reviewers selected by the CDE were given a scoring rubric against which to judge all Title V applicants. In order for an organization to be awarded full funding, it had to achieve a score of 80 out of a possible 115 points and address all required elements.
Only five programs applied for Colorado's abstinence-only funding: CRE/WAIT, Friends First Inc., Pueblo City-County Health Department, Center Consolidated Schools and Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance.
Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance was the only organization to not receive funding: The program focused on development rather than implementation — a requirement of the RFP — and was "not clearly focused on abstinence education," the CDE determined.
Pueblo City-County Health Department and Center Consolidated Schools scored well: 84 and 93, respectively. This made them "first tier" grantees, allowing full funding of each program's request: Pueblo at $58,100 a year and Center at $60,950 a year for the next three years.
Amazing write-up! This could aid plenty of people find out more about this particular issue. Are you keen to integrate video clips coupled with these? It would absolutely help out. Your conclusion was spot on and thanks to you; I probably won’t have to describe everything to my pals. I can simply direct them here!
Andy, I think I need to talk with you -- soon. Your average person wouldn't realize that this group WAIT training got $8.3 million in funding (which info is available at TAGGS.hhs.gov). IN addition, they were lately found doing Marriage Retreats for the DOD (see USASpending.gov, search DUNS#). Moreover, MacKenzie's group doesn't file corporate returns with Colorado, and almost got shut down? on 9/4/2009. The same day, she incorporated 3 more groups (placeholders), 2 of which were shut down quickly (Failure to file) formed a similarly -named "Center for Relationship Education," a nonprofit which lasted all of 3 months, and which founding papers says that any of its assets get to be distributed by the registered agent (i.e., herself) at dissolution. It was dissolved 2010. Then on their site, they claim that the name change took place in 2010 ..
No, they ("WAIT Training at the time") just about got shut down.
Also, in January 2010:http://wthrockmorton.com/2010/...
But, the reason for name change from WAIT (abstinence emphasis) Training to "The Center for Relationship Education" characterized on the site ashttp://myrelationshipcenter.ch... (broadened scope of services.....)
Another group involved with Ssempa & with ties to federal abstinence (marriage, etc.) funding is from Arizona, and has ties to a family with close ties to the Bush family: Pastor Leo Godzich, "N.A.M.E." I name names and quote donations (and US grants) on this page, if you scroll down:
http://familycourtmatters.word...(Looks like I quoted an article by you on here, too). Background in the Godziches. Not the best post on it, but the one I found just now).
~ ~ ~
I have been tracking some of this funding for 2 years now (see my other comments) and can show you, for example, how the HHS/ACF is (intentionally?) giving money away by the millions to outfits known to not be staying incorporated. The profits eventually go to some PR or media corporation.
In Colorado, PREP, Inc. -- ties back to two professors at U. Denver, Scott M. Stanley & Howard J. Markman. I found this simply by looking at the incorporation papers, and searching where their names came up together.http://www.sos.state.co.us/biz...
PREP (this Curriculum out of Denver Univ) is also recommended by childwelfare.gov as a fatherhood program (which it is) and if you want to see it getting marketed some more, with the help of ultra-conservative Wade Horn, who was a co-founder (1994) of the "National Fatherhood Initiative in 1994, right before? his stint with HHS ended . .. Look HERE:
http://peerta.acf.hhs.gov/pdf/...(2003 leadership conference. Search for "PREP" or Dr. Stanley. There's also a presenter from "The Heritage Foundation" (if you know about them).
I have to go, but will be back, or there's my blog. I'm curious that Gov. Ritter's Personal Responsibility Education Program has same acronym as a curriculum that's been in action (based in Greeley CO / and at Denver Univ.) since, like 1991 or so . . .. . "PREP."
"Ritter declined the reported $3.2 million in abstinence-only funding available to Colorado, electing instead to seek funding for comprehensive sex education through the federal Personal Responsibility Education Program. Colorado was awarded approximately $793,000 in PREP funds each year from 2010 through 2014."
I'd like to see that grant award....
This link (two posts in a row) profiles two (at least) influential groups -- from Denver (Center for Policy Research (CPR) & Policy Studies, Inc. ("PSI") -- and some of their founders, and corps. by those founders, and the trade names of at least of them. CPR is nonprofit, PSI is it's "for-profit" arm. David A. Price . . . . .
The second one (as there are two orgs with the name "PSI" in Denver, the 2nd one "Public Strategies Inc." is OK-based with a satellite office in Denver. If you carefully look at some of the personnel in Public Strategies Inc., which I profile and have some photos/links to on that post -- I see that our gentlemen Scott Stanley, Howard Markmann (who both designed the PREP curriculum) along with their younger colleague (Ph.D. 2007) Gabriela Rhoades (all UDenver) and Paul Amato (Penn State) etc. etc. . . . are working consistently to promote each other nationwide, as funded in large part by grants from one source: THe U.S. HHS/ACF.
I want this funding stopped because it's screwing up the family courts, and because of how it was forced on the public, including the pentecostal right-wing version of how life should be. The other reason being is that I think a lot of the organizations are simply slush funds. THey take the money and run, and our government allows this -- and one does have to wonder why. Is some of it getting "kicked back" ??
If you contact me at my site, I can email. I'll be back!
(I see most of the discussion below is pro/con abstinence education based on personal experience. I am from the Bay Area, California, and it took quite a bit of trauma and loss, and determination to stop channeling energies into the standard liberal/progressive (or men/women) etc. talk and simply start looking things up.
LOOK -- the principal outfit running the family law system, and behind its design is (now) called "AFCC" -- Association for Family & Conciliation Courts. It began most likely as a Los Angeles County Judge's Slush Fund (which others have documented ) and in tax evasion. Finally someone got on its tail, and it incorporated. You wouldn't know this from their website's history.
ONE of the places this PRIVATE nonprofit group decided to incorporate was in Denver, and the registered agent was a Jessica Pearson; in other words, it jumped from state to state when the IRS and Franchise Tax Board got on its tail.
The other two organizations I mentioned (above), initials CPR & PSI, were formed in about the 1980s, and Jessica Pearson and about 6 other women run CPR. It is far more influential than people realize. Both these groups are in Denver.
https://www.policy-studies.com...http://www.centerforpolicyrese...http://www.centerforpolicyrese... (shows some of the contracts and the range of them)
If someone would like some proof or what is said at “Beware AFCC” (google it) and that Jessica Pearson, of Center for Policy Research, has organizational connections to the AFCC, which itself has direct connections of SOME sort, to the Los Angeles County Courthouse (at least the one at 111 Hill Street), I’ll give you this one:
(taken from CA secretary of State site):Entity Name:ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY CONCILIATION COURTS Entity Number:C1091990Date Filed:10/01/1981 * * * *Status:SURRENDERJurisdiction:ILLINOIS* *Entity Address:1720 EMERSON STEntity City, State, Zip:DENVER CO 80218* * *Agent for Service of Process:MARGARET LITTLEAgent Address:111 N HILL STAgent City, State, Zip:LOS ANGELES CA 90012
This is why I am willing to, from CA, write about a Denver Group sounding like a nutcase. I'm not. I'm a bloodhound over what has happened, here....
"PREP" curriculum was designed out of UDenver and is being being pushed utilizing TANF (Welfare), Child Support, and Child Welfare systems to promote marriage education as the cure to society's ills.
http://www.prepinc.com/shoppin...
Whether you are for or against abstinence education, this is one thing for sure: It's private profit at public expense -- YOURS, if you pay taxes. YOUR kids' future if you have kids. Teach your on children to have safe sex, or not have sex (pick one), but in the meantime, please show the an example of civic responsibility (like I have -- and I've been a single mother) -- and pay attention to where your taxes are going. $4 billion yearly goes into child & family support enforcement -- that's not the payments, that's the administrative bureaucracy. Meanwhile, from those funds, these programs are being marketed. The money isn't going to solving marital or teen pregnancy -- it's mostly going to profit anyone in the business of designing a media campaign!
I happen to be a Christian, and I think it strange (or simply hypocritical) that the people who claim to have come from a background that admits the 10 Commandments (incl. the first one) are what this society needs for as values, have idolized the institution of marriage. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Good grief, and Jesus himself was considered a bastard...
Anyhow, I erroneously said "Center for Relationship Education", which was formed 9/4/2009 was dissolved in "2010." No, it was dissolved 12/15/2009, for what it's worth.
I also failed to provide a link (to my blog) I referenced.http://familycourtmatters.word...
Or
http://familycourtmatters.word...
That's the one explaining some of the Denver-based organizations (and their grants), plus showing the designers of "PREP" are also involved in Oklahoma's Marriage Initiative.
It's just more Christian zealots trying to impose antiquated judges of morality onto the next generation. I'm sorry -- but our generation doesn't buy your fairy tale book, er, Bible.
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"That money is now paying for abstinence programs to go to public school auditoriums, training conferences, churches and community centers throughout Colorado, spreading the message that abstinence-only-until-marriage is the only way to have disease-free, worthwhile sex."
That is the simple truth. What could possibly be bad with that? The fact that some kids won't get the message? And our answer should be, "Teach them to be promiscuous"? That's just like stopping testing them for math skills because too many fail.
The problems we face in this country are mostly caused by our moral decline. Any and every way we can stop and even reverse that decline is good for our country's future.
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No. The presentation was wonderful. They used the tape to show the innocent girl to be transparent....not a filthy rag. She was beautiful and when she gave herself to the young man she left with a part of him. She didn't bond as easily to the next person she was with because she still had memories and feelings (whether they were positive or negative) as a result of her previous relationship. That was the purpose of the tape. Period. And it wasn't just her beliefs that she was portraying. It is fact that our first love sticks in our hearts for our lifetime. They just do. So she was telling these kids not to give it away so freely. Period.
I was particularly shocked by this, because my son attends Loveland High School, and I wasn't as a parent given any notification or consent as to whether he should be allowed to attend this seminar. I just asked him and he said they were given a chance to take time out of academic classes to attend a sex and dating seminar. Fortunately, my son is academically motivated, and opted for his academic classes instead, but you can imagine what most student's choice would be!
The woman in the video appears sadistic and psychologically abusive, sort of like having your child taught sex education by the Queen of Narnia. As a mother, I wouldn't want her anywhere near my teenage child.
What the article fails to consider is that this seminar isn't just abusive toward LGBT teens, but to straight teenagers as well. The objectivization of a young woman as a piece of tape is unconscionable. I suffered from depression as a teenager, and I could see a particularly sensitive young woman committing suicide as a result of this presentation. Imagine, in particular, a teenage girl who's been the victim of sexual molestation, incest or rape being told that she's now a limp, filthy rag who "needs therapy!" as the woman proclaimed with fiendish delight.
Mrs. Littleton -
I want to congratulate you for fighting for the funding for your Wait Training Program. While driving home from work tonight I heard you on 630 KHOW and I could not believe that Craig Silverman was balking about tax paying dollars going towards this program. Does he not realize that tax paying dollars are already being spent on teaching our children that is permissible to wear a condom and have sex whenever you feel like it. Even Doctors are telling our teenage girls that if they want to get on birth control, just ask for it. What has happened to people's morals? My husband & I raised two daughters teaching them to "wait" and they have never one time said I wish you had not raised me that way. One of our daughters now has two daughters of her own and she too plans on raising them with the same morals and self esteem.I would like to encourage all schools to offer this program teaching kids that waiting is the right thing to do - they will not only have a higher self esteem but they will also have the ability to have better relationships with that one person that they find to spend the rest of their lives with. Keep up the good work promoting your program! Please let me know what I can do to help get this program in our local schools.
Parents should be talking with their kids about sex and sexuality. It is the role of schools however to teach medically accurate facts and information that can help all students make the decisions that are right for them. Not all families feel the same way as you about waiting for marriage to become sexually active. And approximately 98% of married people have had sex prior to marriage, so I think imposing your beliefs on everyone else is at best short sighted and at worse oblivious.
Abstinence is still a choice and all choices and alternatives should be represented. It's not about just abstaining all together but waiting until you're ready. Not just because a boy wants it, or a girl is agressive. Nothing is going to prevent 100% not even family and church. Abstinance isn't about repressing its about waiting until you're ready or having confidence knowing you want to wait. A month, a year, until marriage it's okay for a kid not to be ready. Kids are pressured into sex and very young ages and it's okay not to do it. I'm not conservative when it comes to sex by all means but not all kids mature the same so it does nothing to protect a child if you can't tell them that they can respect themselves and waith or abstain until they are ready. Your liberal bitter "im okay, we're all okay" attitude does nothing to protect kids form the emotional aspects of sex and just being a kid in general.
Um. You do realize that comprehensive sex ed teaches abstinence as the best and safest method, right? It also teaches the skills a person needs to say "no," and to stand by that. It does teach about birth control and STD prevention. It teaches safe negotiation practices and how to begin to navigate the difficult terrain of burgeoning sexuality.
The problem is, abstinence-only education as it exists is negative, based on fear-mongering and lies, is sexist, and is devoid of useful content.
I think part of being responsible is using things to prevent you from becoming pregnant, as well, we don't trust those under 18 to be responsible, so yeah, that may be hard.
Why don't we teach personal responsibility? Is that so hard? As far as sex education go, students should know the in and outs of it. Yes pun intended. At the middle school and high school levels, the basics should be discussed. Intimacy, the feelings, and the ultimate result whether planned or not could end in a child.Period. So many unwanted or unattended babies are brought into this world due to lack of responsibility. Why don't schools stress masturbation? There's nothing wrong with that. Preach abstinence, but also let them know what's out there. Honestly, it really shouldn't be the school's responsibility to discuss sex education. It's the parents'. But then again, shouldn't most things about life be taught by the parents?
Wsutton, there are a lot of people who feel masturbation is harmful. And it can be if not handled (no pun intended) properly. Sex begins in the mind. First we think and dwell on it and then we act on it. There isn't anything that we do that we have not imagined doing first. Therefore, in my opinion, it is important to teach our children to keep their minds pure. That is the first line of defense in being self-controlled. IN MY OPINION, children should be taught that if the feelings and needs become overwhelming, that it is ok to masturbate in private. I don't believe that is something that should be explained, but left to their curiosity. But at the same time we should gently explain that it is something that should be done in private and not shared with friends (self-control and self respect). I also told my children to keep from using the image of one specific person while doing so and not to look at images from magazines or other media while doing so. That was very successful, and so far my kids have been happy and able to wait for marriage. I agree with you, Wsutton, that abstinence and birth control should both be taught. I, for one, do not want my kids to be sheltered to the point of not being able to live in society.
Mrs. Littleton and her ilk are poster girls for the dumbing down of young women in the area of sex ed. As a former volunteer for Planned Parenthod of Vermont ( 1971-73. Teen Clinic Coord.) and a lifelong, single/never married/ childfree-by-choice, 64 year old, Baby Boomer, I am sick and tired of women like Mrs. Littleton ( she clearly is not a Ms....),and Rep.Michele Bachman, et al require that all of us marry in order to have sex, express our love. As the daughter of hardcore Catholic Republicans, I fully understand this view. For some, it works. For most young women who are becoming educated it is simply one option. That is where sex ed is faiiling. We should be empowering teen girls to say 'no', not because the Church or Mrs. Littleton says so, but because they fully and cognitively understand the sensibleness of not having sex right now, I.E., their 'internal 'romantic' computer says " does not compute, ( where as hormones say " let's!"), and the message they get is " this guy is so not worth that much of my time, much less my body". Within the past year or so. MTV interviewed young women on college campuses regarding their use of condoms/ birthcontrol methods. Even at age 20, these young women simply shrug their shoulders and their reply is blase - " yeah sometimes I use a condom but sometimes I don't". ( Why are they not on some type of birth control to begin with? There are only at least 7 different types..duh.). While I get irriated at the abstinence-only crowd, as a feminist who marched so women could have control and choice with their reproductive freedom, I get livid that the young women refuse to stop taking for granted birthcontrol's availability and confront their damn sexuality! They are just babies who want to play but refuse to bring along first aid supplies just in case. . The problem is not in the materials or how they are presented. Nope! The Problem is our kids' attitudes over something so important. I tell young people I talk to :" you can buck the trend and be a teen, but you cannot dispute science and it has been shown, that if you use birth control (not just protection) regularly, with dedication, remembering the important role it plays into your life, you will have a better life." Teens see sex ed, ho hum, as important , ho hum , as their latest, ho hum , lame , class. Perhaps it is how it is being presented? But then again, too many teens today have a lassiez- faire attitude toward everyone and everything.(I ride the bus with them). Perhaps if Denver Health and Hospitals sent the maternity bill to these arrogant teen mothers and fathers, and take money out of their pay check to pay towards said bill, it could turn out to be the best form of birth control since the ol' sixties suggestion: " Put an aspirin between your knees". While Mrs. Littleton and her ilk concentrate on kdis, I think their time would be better spent with the low income mothers on welfare who could use the information infinately more then their kid. (It is these irresponsible, culture-driven women who your taxes are paying for, by the way, Mrs. Littleton) Children live what they learn. And maybe if these same conservative who want to get their way no matter what, would target tv, soap operas ( and their whole "some guy will sweep me off my feet" fairy tail) other media that their kids' are exposed to, as well as the fashion industry, maybe inroads might be made. Economic boycotes work surprisingly well. As my Irish mother and father would say, " someone like Mrs. Littleton is simply "shoveling sh** against the tide". Finally, it doesn't take a government study and associated costs to show that AO programs are not working. Seems to me, if kids can sext their bodies, then they can be taught to spell and google B-I-R-T-H C-O-N-T-R-O-L. But that would be too hard for most parents to do I guess? And then we need to teach them healthy sexuality instead of as I was taught: " woman are occasions of sin, so keep ya blouses buttoned. In college it was feet on the floor:. I suspect Mrs. Littleton longs for those days and should have the BoE pay for some therapy so she can seamlessly realize that she is not "President of All She Surveys", that some are not meant to marry and that does not mean what she would like; and that maybe its time to question your own sexuality in this day and age. Ingorance for young women is not bliss. Education is.
A funny thought just popped into my head: that you're more of a sexual deviant than the other 99.9% of the population that you probably go around judging. I respect your individual right to deprive yourself of one of the greater satisfactions we experience as living beings, but the rest of humanity -- and the animal kingdom, for that matter -- aren't wired that way. We are biologically compelled to engage in acts of sex, and depriving yourself of that isn't just religious devotion, but masochism. And just to be clear again, I respect your individual right to be a masochist.
Concerning morality? What determines moral ethics is far greater in scope than a singular parental unit. Parents of children have been guilty of racism, ordered genocides. Warren Jeffs fathered nearly 60 children; should he determine their morals? We rely on socialization to counterbalance parental teachings that deviate from societal norms. Our government -- our very intentionally secular government -- has every right to provide health classes that benefits ALL of its citizens, and not just a specific religious niche, through its education system.
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Off of how many of those entitlement programs do you live? Are you really saying that requiring people to suffer the consequences of their own actions is tantamount to fascism? Typical liberal emotionalism. Don't let logic get in your way - it's too inconvenient and too difficult for you and your ilk to understand.
It might be fair for the mother, but it most certainly isn't for the child, who never did anything to deserve abject poverty.
I'm constantly confounded by the contradictions in the modern conservative attitude. Ol' Druid, here, will probably fight to the death for the right of that child to be born, but then insist that child be subject to every societal disadvantage there is. Perhaps, you should readdress your criteria for what is logical?
Concerning the article -- and expanding my thoughts on conservative contradictions -- I find it extremely amusing that anyone claiming that sort of ideology would support anything restricting individual choice. It's becoming extremely apparent that the Fox News/Palin/Limbaugh crowd seldom align with anything traditionally conservative. Can we just go back to what we used to call people like that?
Racists.
Actually, in Bristol's book she admits that it is her fault that she got pregnant. She got drunk and had sex with someone. She isn't blaming anyone else for what she did. In Longmont, with the abstinence education, the incidents of pregnancy have decreased. My daughter is a sophomore in HS here and had to take Health. She was given so much great information about sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, drugs and their effects, etc. And she was taught that the best way to keep from having to suffer the consequences of her poor choices, was not to make them. Presently, she has chosen to wait. But she is 15 and is beautiful. It is so hard to stay abstinent in our generation and I know, realistically, that she may not wait until she is married. But because she has all of that information, she will have the knowledge she needs to keep from getting an STD or getting pregnant. And she will also know that it was her own CHOICES that put her there. Taking ownership of our own behavior is the only thing that helps us to move forward in life. That is what Bristol Palin has chosen to do. Good for her!
Actually, in Bristol's book, it's clear she was RAPED. Typical conservative, finding any way possible to blame and oppress women. And abstinence-only education, with its religious basis and fear-mongering, has been shown time and time again to be highly ineffective.
"In Longmont, with the abstinence education, the incidents of pregnancy have decreased."
Teenage pregnancy has reduced throughout the country, period. That is not specific to Longmont or however they teach health classes. I would chalk that one up to improved communication we have available today. The internet and cell phones allow kids to access universal information that naive parents and church-tainted educational curriculums aren't properly demonstrating.
"She was given so much great information about sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, drugs and their effects, etc."
That's not abstinence-only education.
"Actually, in Bristol's book..."
You read a book that Bristol Palin wrote? Of all the great novels and biographies (of people that actually mattered) in the world, you chose to read the literary equivalent of shotgunning a bottle of bleach? Perhaps you should be less concerned about something as trivial as pre-marital sex and concentrate on providing a better example for your children's ACTUAL education.
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