On Saturday, February 11, I attended a silent protest in front of Planned Parenthood. On the left side of the street, myself and countless crowds of people stood quietly in support of Planned Parenthood’s one hundred years of giving women free health education, information, and assistance. Everyone was greeting fellow allies with hugs and positivity.

The problem with this afternoon stood on the other side of the street, or in some cases, right in our faces. Families with young children sang songs of grace and prayed to God above, all while holding images of aborted children casted across poster boards. Granted, these people had just as much of a right to be on the sidewalk, so I had no complaints. The problem that I saw much clearer was the faces of these young children holding the signs with their parents’ hands on their shoulders.

“I’m worried to see what will happen to these children who won’t ever be in a position to be in an environment where they can challenge their parents’ beliefs, in fact, I don’t really see us taking a huge step forward regardless of how liberal my own surroundings are,” said junior Camille Piette.

With the newest generation of people growing up with technology, all forms of information can be at anyone’s fingertips in moments. This gives us the capability to see all sides of every argument. Luckily, some of these sources provide information that can change the minds of young people like myself. Growing up in a predominantly Republican family, but the bad kind, racist and uneducated, I have had countless run ins with ignorance and Facebook fights. Seeing how my family acts has only strengthened my want to have a more open mind, but to use my own morals and values to decide how I view the world.

Sadly, other children are not so lucky, being raised in households who hinder the growth of personal opinion. Parents, when given the responsibility to raise a child, have one of two choices: either consistently reiterate their own opinions, or allow their children to branch out and explore other sides to every argument.

“Your parents have a political bias that can rub off on you, there’s nothing you can do about being influenced by them, and sadly, sometimes these thoughts and opinions may not be backed up by fact,” said junior Sean O’Neill.

With organized events like the Women’s March and countless other gatherings, young people are being able to reach their voices out to larger audiences. We seem to be becoming more tolerant. Unfortunately, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and there are still endless opportunities for the children of today to become the ignorant adults of tomorrow.