One morning last November, people watching Good Morning America were served up an inspirational segment about an 11-year-old boy with an unusual hobby. “His bravery is inspiring so many,” the host gushed, introducing a biographical video segment about the boy’s “amazing story.” What was so brave, inspiring and amazing to so many about this boy? Why such glowing national television coverage?

Because he likes to primp and prance like a sexy grown woman.

“I love to put on makeup, dresses and wigs and of course, jewelry,” the boy Desmond, whose “drag name” is “Desmond Is Amazing,” explained in the video with a weirdly effeminate affectation. “It just feels amazing to know that people love what I do. My one big message would be three words: Be yourself always.”

His mother said, “It really touches me deeply that there are other children out there that he’s reaching and they’re listening to him and he’s influencing them to be themselves.”

After the video, Desmond strutted into the studio, supermodel catwalk style, wearing a long strawberry blonde wig, a short dress and a fur coat. The audience cheered wildly at the sexualized display. They and the hosts enthused over the boy’s every word as though he were an icon of heroism. And they raved when he received surprise visits from three grown “drag queens” bearing gifts for him.

Good Morning America is as mainstream as it gets. It has been the most-watched morning show in the country for decades. And this was bold, blatant, carefully orchestrated propaganda with some incredibly disturbing messages for today’s parents and children.

What messages? That encouraging gender confusion in your children is brave and inspiring. That sexualizing children is fun and praiseworthy. That these subversive and countercultural notions are universally applauded in today’s America. (It was truly bizarre how unanimously exuberant the studio audience was.) That the real problem is bigotry, and that children raised without societal bias naturally “get it.”

Beyond gender-warping, this story teaches other damaging lessons. That we strengthen our children by celebrating “achievements” like just being themselves. That they should be applauded rather than guided. That they are inherently wise enough to make radical, life-altering decisions. That self-expression, however bizarre, is innately virtuous. That self-absorption is admirable.

These are becoming the gospel truths of modern child rearing. They are rapidly reshaping our culture and society. They are leading to a disturbing future that embraces moral corruption, confusion and narcissism, that enforces compliance, and that rejects reality and absolute truth.

Responsible parenting has never been more difficult. A mother who lauds her son’s cross-dressing is celebrated as a paragon of positive parental tolerance and support. Meanwhile, parents are ignored or even criticized for instilling in their children actual virtues like moral sense, good manners, discipline, work ethic, responsibility, academic excellence, sound decision-making, modesty and humility.

If you want to block this insane trend from infecting your own family, you are going to have to fight. You are going to have to work. You need sound, time-tested instruction on how to bring up your children and teenagers to be successful adults.

You need to understand the purpose of a child—the purpose of human life itself. You need to understand which values are truly virtues, who defines them and how. You need to understand how to teach those virtues to your children.

You need practical specifics on what to teach your infant, toddler, child and teen. You need to know for certain that the parenting laws you are abiding by are right, so you can stick with them until they produce the fulfilling, purposeful, happy family every parent yearns for.

You need to know not only what obvious evils to protect your children from, but also the subtle evils, and the evils that actually appear to be good. You need to know about giving right discipline and also about giving right instruction. You need to know not only what your children should learn but how to equip them to be good learners. You need to know how to select good toys, how to have upbuilding family outings, the importance of tussling with your sons, taking your daughters on dates, and making family time fun time. You need to take the things you will wish you had known and learn them now.

You need to learn what Hannah, one of the greatest parents of the Bible learned. She prayed to her Creator and said if He would “give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11). She understood the vision of what a child could become, and God recorded her example, and others, so you can too.

The Trumpet staff has just published a new book that meets these needs of the loving parent: Child Rearing With Vision. This world is hopelessly confused about the purpose of children. This book will show you how the Bible illuminates the beautiful, spectacular goal of raising children, and it will give you the tools you need to achieve that goal.

You can download Child Rearing With Vision right now at theTrumpet.com. You can also request your own free copy. Read it along with your Bible, and it will become one of the most valuable, most used, most marked up, most treasured books in your home.