Bristol Palin received a lot of support and credit for the progress that she made in her ability to freely express herself on the stage of dancing with the stars during this year’s contest. But was it good personal freedom she was expressing? Her transition from a shy non-dancer to an expressive amateur dancer was apparent to everyone who watched her week after week. And she admitted the challenge of this transition in many of her personal comments during numerous interviews.

While she can be admired for demonstrating some growth in her personal abilities to freely express herself, I think that it is well for her and for us to recognize that there is a big difference between a young woman’s freedom to “shake her bootie” and her freedom to restrain from using her sex appeal to manipulate others and to draw inappropriate attention to herself. I hope that Bristol hasn’t lost her sense of modesty in her transition.

Personal freedom not only affects one’s sexual attitudes toward themselves and others, but it has a lot of effect on other aspects of our lives as well. It would be well to recognize that there is a big difference between being free to vote and being free from self-serving desires for financial benefits and power when one votes. There is a big difference between being free from the fear of flying and being free from the requirement to be searched before boarding a plane. There is a big difference between a plane that is free to cruise through the air from the thrust of its powerful jet engines and a plane that is cruising through the air free from the controls of its rudder and ailerons. Some people in Iraq and other places in the world are learning that there is a big difference between the personal freedoms that are offered in a democratic form of government and those that are offered by a dictator, even one who may have some popular support.

It is well to recognize that good personal freedom should be modified by good self control

To be free of many of such controls is to be “out of control” and no longer “free”. Most of us want our children to grow up to be free independent men and women, but the process of reaching a mature level of personal freedom is not easy for anyone. And there is a big difference between being “free” and being “driven” in one’s life.

What are the qualities of good personal freedom that you prize for yourself and your children? Let’s talk about this.