Growing up, I didn't have the beliefs of my family dictate my life. I was not raised by people with huge opinions on things like religion and politics. In fact, I didn't even know the difference between the two parties until 2015.

Granted, it's not like my family has radical beliefs. I was always taught to treat others respectfully, which meant no bullying. I also was taught to not have prejudice. I never looked at someone with a different skin color or different sexuality as being lesser than.

I was raised Catholic, but the Bible wasn't the focal point of what I learned. In fact, I've never read the Bible in my life. I wasn't brought up in a home that valued religion and the teachings of an old book more than common sense. My family was also quiet when it came to politics. My mother never really shared her opinion on candidates when voting came around. It wasn't until this past election that I actually knew her opinion. Because of that, I was able to form my own opinions. We disagree on some things, but she's never tried to sway me into believing something just because she does.

That's how it should be. Children should be able to form their own opinions on things. If someone is being raised by racist or homophobic people constantly shoving that bullshit into their heads, we're just going to end up with more ignorant people.

I see young people with terrible opinions of others. Not because they've lived and decided what to think for themselves but because of their parents pushing them into believing nonsense. A child does not yet have the life experience to figure out who the bad people in life are, so tricking them into believing it's black people, gay people, immigrants, or whoever bigots blame for their problems, is just terrible.

Almost all the people I personally know who have very ignorant views of the world gained their insight from their parents. Meanwhile, those with more pleasant viewpoints often come from families like mine. Again, this is speaking from my personal experience.

I don't believe parents should force their beliefs on their children. Without the ability to think and form opinions for one's self, we'd all be brainwashed minions lacking independence and free will.