As a father raising sons, my responsibility is not just to feed and shelter them. It is to shape them into men of character. I am teaching them to honor truth, stand for what is right, protect the vulnerable, and uphold the Constitution. But more and more, it feels like our parental rights are being chipped away. Slowly and quietly, through legislation that assumes the state knows better than families. 
The Constitution affirms that parents, not the government, are the primary authority over their children. The 14th Amendment, reinforced by Supreme Court cases like Pierce v. Society of Sisters in 1925 and Troxel v. Granville in 2000, protects the right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.
Bills like AB 495, although well-intentioned, raise serious concerns. If we open the door for government agencies or unaffiliated adults to assume temporary guardianship without due process, background checks, or real oversight, we are not helping families. We are endangering them. Good laws protect liberty and order. Bad laws assume authority that was never theirs to take.

There is also growing concern about what is happening in our schools. AB 665, for example, allows minors as young as 12 to consent to mental health services, including residential care, without parental consent or notification under certain conditions. That does not support families. It sidesteps them.We have to ask, if the state can override parents with vague affidavits and broad definitions, are we still the true guardians of our children?
My sons are not wards of the state. I am accountable to God and the Constitution for how I raise them. That is not extreme. That is American. Family first. Government limited. Freedom protected. So yes, I am watching legislation closely. I am raising my sons to be alert, informed, and unafraid to speak up. And I am urging other parents, especially fathers, to do the same.
Because silence now only guarantees surrender later.