A house RESOLUTION

TO ENCOURAGE ALL SOUTH CAROLINIANS TO JOIN WITH THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN RECOGNIZING HOW CRITICAL PARENTS AND PARENTHOOD ARE TO THE HEALTH AND GOOD OF OUR STATE AND TO DECLARE THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY as "NATIONAL PARENT LEADERSHIP MONTH" THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, communities across the country honor and celebrate parents and parenthood throughout the month of February, which has been designated National Parent Leadership Month; and

Whereas, National Parent Leadership Month was initiated by Parents Anonymous® as an opportunity to show appreciation for parents who work to improve the lives of their families, neighbors, and communities; and

Whereas, parents do this work by lending their voice to local, state, and national initiatives and partnering with the staff of programs in which they participate; and

Whereas, parents are a vital resource in family strengthening and child abuse prevention efforts, and acknowledging their wisdom and contributions is essential not only in February, but all year; and

Whereas, meaningful parent leadership occurs when parents gain the knowledge and skills necessary to function in meaningful leadership roles and present a "parent voice" to help shape the direction of their families, programs, and communities; and

Whereas, the power of parents speaking publicly about their experiences has made, and will continue to make, an impact on the lives of families everywhere; and

Whereas, as primary stakeholders, parents are responsible for what and how their children are taught, and how they are brought up; and

Whereas, being responsible, parenthood bestows the unalienable right of parents to participate in the political process on behalf of their children. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, encourage all South Carolinians to join with them in recognizing how critical parents and parenthood are to the health and good of our State and declare the month of February as "National Parent Leadership Month" throughout the State of South Carolina.

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